Optical isomerism and carbonyl compounds Flashcards
What is an Chiral Carbon?
A carbon with 4 different groups attached
What is an optical isomer/enantiomers?
Mirror images with the groups arranged differently around the chiral carbon
What does it mean when optical isomers are optically active?
They rotate plane polarized light (when light passes through the, molecules interact with it and rotate it)
What is plane polarized light?
When light vibrates in the same plane after being past through a filter
What do 2 enantiomers in a mixture do to light?
Rotate light in opposite directions (anticlockwise/clockwise)
What is a racemate?
mixture that contains equal amounts of each enantiomer of an optically active compound
What dont racemates show?
optical activity as rotation cancels
When do racemates form?
when 2 achiral things meets (as when 2 things react there is an equal chance of forming each enantiomer)
What is an enantiomerically pure product?
Product with one enantiomer
What can NaBH4 do?
reverse oxidation of primary/secondary alcohols
LEARN NUCLEOPHILIC ADDITION MECHANISM
learn
What is a hydroxynitrile?
Molecule with a OH and CN group
What mechanism produced hyroxynitriles?
nucleophilic addition?
