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Enantiomers are organic compounds in which a carbon atom, known as a chiral carbon, is bonded to four distinct and non-identical alkyl or functional groups (for example, a hydroxyl, a methyl, an ethyl and an amine). This means they can be arranged in two different ways; from the perspective of one of the groups, the other three can either be in one order - "clockwise" - or the opposite - "anticlockwise". This potential difference is important for two reasons: # A pure sample of each enantiomer will bend a ray of polarised light in opposite directions at the same angle. for this reason they are sometimes called optical isomers. Each isomer is labelled according to the direction of the bend (d- and l- for 'left' and 'right'). This property allows a person to work out, from a sample which contains an unknown ratio of the two, the proprtion of each simply by passing a ray of light through and measuring the angle it is bent to. E.g. a 1:1 ratio will not bend the light at all, but a 10:1 may bend light exactly 30o to one side. # Many compounds in the body and nature are enantiomers. Lactic acid is a common example. Some compounds are multiply enantiomeric, as they contain more than one chiral - some can have more than a handful. Because of the way the alkyls/functionals are arranged, use of one enantiomer may be very beneficial, but use of the other is pointless, because the active sites for the area, reaction or cell are removed from where they need to be in order for them to have effect. Some drugs and hormones are known for this reason.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agosterioisomers are molecules containing the same atoms bonded identically but the bonded atoms are oriented differently in space
Enantiomers
are a class of stereoisomers
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoIsomer:
- an isotope similar to another excepting the half life
- compounds with similar chemicals formulas
Stereoisomer:
- compounds with similar chemicals formulas but with a difference in the structure
Enantiomer:
- stereoisomers which have non superposable structures in the mirror
Wiki User
∙ 13y agosome optical isomers are not enantiomers
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Limiting your answer to cycloalkanes and ignoring sterioisomers how many constitutional isomers can you find in C6H12?
11
What is the dfference between liquid glucose and liquid dextrose?
Dextrose is one of the two sterioisomers of glucose. It is the only active sterioisomer and is techincally referred to as D-glucose.
How do you determine the number of isomers an organic compound can form?
With any hyrdrocarbon there is a way to narrow down your possible isomers. I always use this formula to start a problem of this kind. This formula is used to find the unsaturation of the molecule which in turn can help you figure out how many rings, double or triple bonds are in the structure. (2C+2-H-X+N)/2 You just multiply the number of Carbons by 2 add 2 subtract the number of hydrogens and halides (X= Cl, I, Br) and add the number of nitrogens. Divide all of that by 2. NOTE: the number of oxygens does not factor into the unsaturation Here's an example of how to find unsaturation: C6H9Cl (2(6) + 2 - 9 - 1)/2 = 2 How to interpret your results: An unsaturation of o indicates no unsaturation and therefore the molecule has no rings, or double or triple bonds An unsaturation of 1 indicates that there is either a ring or a double bond An unsaturation of 2 indicates there is either a ring and a double bond, 2 double bonds or a triple bond etc... We now know that the example will have isomers with 1 triple bond, 2 double bonds, and ones with a ring and a double bond. This formula is very useful and a great tool for organic chemistry.
