AS Chemistry: Isomerism & Chirality

Front

What is isomerism?

Back

Isomerism is the phenomenon where two or more compounds have the same molecular formula but different structural or spatial arrangements of atoms.

Front

Define structural isomers.

Back

Structural isomers are compounds that have the same molecular formula but differ in the connectivity of their atoms.

Front

What are stereoisomers?

Back

Stereoisomers are isomers that have the same molecular formula and connectivity of atoms but differ in the spatial arrangement of atoms.

Front

What is chirality?

Back

Chirality is a property of a molecule that makes it non-superimposable on its mirror image, often due to the presence of a chiral center.

Front

What is a chiral center?

Back

A chiral center, or chiral carbon, is a carbon atom that is bonded to four different groups, leading to non-superimposable mirror images.

Front

Explain the difference between enantiomers and diastereomers.

Back

Enantiomers are pairs of stereoisomers that are mirror images of each other, while diastereomers are stereoisomers that are not mirror images.

Front

What is a racemic mixture?

Back

A racemic mixture is a 50:50 mixture of two enantiomers, resulting in no optical activity.

Front

Define optical activity.

Back

Optical activity is the ability of a chiral compound to rotate the plane of polarized light.

Front

What is the significance of the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog priority rules?

Back

The Cahn-Ingold-Prelog priority rules are used to assign priorities to substituents around a chiral center to determine the configuration (R or S) of the molecule.

Front

What does the term 'cis-trans isomerism' refer to?

Back

Cis-trans isomerism is a type of geometric isomerism where the relative positions of substituents differ around a double bond or a ring structure.