optical isomerism

Question 1

what is an optical isomer

Answer 1

A molecule with a non-superimposable mirror image

Question 2

what is a chiral carbon

Answer 2

a carbon with 4 different groups attached to it

Question 3

what does a polariser do

Answer 3

only lets some light through

Question 4

what will optically active samples do to plane-polarised light

Answer 4

optically active samples will rotate plane -polarised light

Question 5

what is a racemic mixture

Answer 5

a mixture containing equal amounts of each other therefore they don’t have optical activity since the enantiomers effects cancel each other out

Question 6

how do racemic mixtures form

Answer 6

1- nucleophilic addition to carbonyls
2- electrophilic substitution in alkenes

Question 7

what do the two enantiomers of thalidomide do

Answer 7

1- alleviates nausea and morning sickness
2- causes birth defects

Question 8

what is the importance of enantiomers in enzymes

Answer 8

actives sites are specific shapes therefore a substrate needs a specific spatial arrangement to bond to the matching area of active site