topic 17 Flashcards
what is a chiral centre
a carbon atom with four different groups bonded to it so the molecule has no line of symmetry`
what is optical isomerism
a type of stereo isomerism chiral carbon atoms with non super imposable mirror images of each other
how are chiral centres indicated
with an asterisk
what are two different optical isomers called
enantiomers
how do enantiomers differ from eachother?
they rotate the plane of polarised light
what is a racemic mixture?
this is two enantiomers that exist in equal amounts( equimolar)
how do enentiomers of the same molecule differ
they rotate light by the same degree in opposite directions
what happens to light in the presence of a racemate
the plane of polarised light remains the same as the polarisation rotation is cancelled out
what are the two ways that nucleophillic substitution can occur
the negative charge can leave the chiral carbon first so that the nucleophile can attack from any direction .
the nucleophile could attack at the same time as the negative charge leaves so that it can only attack from one direction.
what is a carbonyl compound
a organic compouds containing a C=O group.and the functional group of -CO
what are the most common carbonyl groups
aldehydes and ketones
how are aldehydes produced
via the oxidation and distillation of primary alcohols
what do aldehydes react with to form carboxyllic acids
potassium dichromate
how are ketones formed
through the oxidisation and distillation of secondary alcohols
whats the main difference between aldehydes and ketones?
the positioning of the CO group
what is the positioning of the CO group on aldehydes
it is always on the end of an organic group and ends in -al
how many of each atom is there in the atom proponal
3 carbons, 6 hydrogens. and one oxygen atom.
what is tollens reagent used for
to distinguish between aldehydes and ketones
why is tollens reagent heated in a water bath and not under a flame
this is a safety precaution because aldehydes and ketones are very flammable