Questions tagged [chirality]
Applicable to questions about the ability of a molecule (or class of molecules) to be superimposed on their mirror image(s).
188
questions
8
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2answers
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Do isotopic groups cause optical activity?
I understood the simplified reason for optical activity of a compound based on the difference in the angular velocities of counter-rotating circularly polarized light. The difference is due to the ...
-1
votes
1answer
63 views
Are there optically active molecules in which all atoms lie in the same plane?
I've learnt that when a molecule is non-superposable on its mirror image, it exists as a pair of enantiomers and is optically active. Absence of plane of symmetry is given to be one of the properties ...
4
votes
0answers
45 views
Is there an anisotropy factor (g factor) for TDDFT Abs and CD calculations?
Experimentally, anisotropy factor is calculated by dividing the CD spectra by the absorbance spectra multiplying by a factor of 32980 (in order to get a nondimensional quantity)
Theoretical ...
2
votes
1answer
63 views
The number of optical isomers of 3,4-dichlorobutan-2-ol
The number of optical isomers possible for the given organic molecule is?
$\ce{CH_3-C^*H(OH)-CHCl-CH_2Cl}$ (the configuration is fixed at $\ce{C^*}$)
The given answer is 2.
The carbon marked with an ...
6
votes
2answers
483 views
Why is the name 'propylene oxide' preferred for epoxypropane?
This is the molecule I know as epoxypropane:
In my neck of the woods (example), this molecule is used as one of the standard examples of small chiral molecules. The name 'epoxypropane' makes a heck ...
5
votes
0answers
69 views
What makes this molecule achiral?
I don't understand why this molecule is achiral:
I've circled what I think is the sole chiral center in red. I thought that any molecule with exactly one chiral center is chiral without exception. I ...
0
votes
1answer
91 views
R/S chirality question
Consider [(1S,2S,4S)-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-2-yl]acetic acid:
(Source: http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.22823922.html)
According to the chemspider nomenclature, this has three S ...
3
votes
2answers
255 views
Link between centrosymmetry, dipole moment and chirality
What is the relationship between the three concepts in the title?
I know all centrosymmetric molecules are achiral, but not all achiral molecules are centrosymmetric. Thus, there are no molecules ...
0
votes
2answers
74 views
Is chirality a property of only molecules with exactly 1 chiral centre? [closed]
I have seen chirality being defined in a number of ways in terms of a molecule not being superimposable with its mirror image.
My syllabus has a statement: "know that optical isomerism is a result of ...
8
votes
2answers
735 views
d-Menthol vs dl-menthol: Does an enantiomer and its racemic mixture have different melting points?
I am checking out Wikipedia and it shows a different melting point (m.p.) for l-menthol $(\pu{42 ^\circ C}$ to $\pu{45 ^\circ C})$ vs dl-menthol $(\pu{36 ^\circ C}$ to $\pu{38 ^\circ C}).$
How is ...
4
votes
1answer
162 views
QM9 dataset with chirality
I am trying to find chiral centers of molecules in QM9 dataset. Browsing their SMILES representation, I noticed SMILES yield using
datasets.get_qm9(GGNNPreprocessor(), return_smiles=True)
don't ...
2
votes
0answers
66 views
Chirality as atom feature
I have been reading some literature on molecular energy prediction using machine learning techniques and I have noticed that one of the input parameters in many of the available models is "chirality". ...
1
vote
0answers
136 views
Chirality in carbocations
The following compound is a carbocation.
Clearly, the given compound does not have any element of symmetry. The compound is non planar due to the presence of ethyl group. Thus it must be chiral. But ...
0
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0answers
42 views
Stereochemistry of C as non-chiral centre
When a C of a molecule is not a chiral centre, the spatial orientation of its substituent group doesn't affect its stereochemical specification, does it?
Ex:
0
votes
1answer
96 views
Priority of carbons attached to chiral group, one with double bonded oxygen, one with two oxygens [closed]
I have a chiral carbon. Two of the atoms attached to the carbon are other carbon atoms. One of those carbons has a double bonded oxygen and a methyl group attached. The other has two oxygens and a ...
3
votes
1answer
263 views
Cahn–Ingold–Prelog Rules, cyclic structures, and breaking ties
(3S,5R)-3-ethyl-5-methylcyclohex-1-ene
Does anyone know how one reaches the conclusion that the 5C is R? I tried using the Cahn–Ingold–Prelog priority rules but kept getting confused.
From chem....
2
votes
0answers
63 views
Chirality with tautomers
This molecule has 6 peaks in its proton NMR. I think this is due to the following tautomerisation:
However, I am unsure as to whether this molecule would be chiral, as it can freely interconvert ...
0
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0answers
70 views
Does a non-chiral substrate (2-bromo-2-methylpropane) also form two products via an SN1 mechanism?
If I have an alkyl halide, in which its tertiary carbon is non-chiral (for example 2-bromobutane), which reacts via an SN1 mechanism does it also produce 2 products?
I am asking because I know that ...
4
votes
2answers
308 views
Chiral carbon in carvone molecules
This is the structure of carvone, with the chiral carbon noted by *.
I don't understand why this is a chiral carbon, to my understanding a chiral carbon is a carbon with 4 different chemical groups ...
2
votes
2answers
444 views
How are these two molecules identical?
I can see that these compounds are identical as we have basically just done a 180 degree rotation of the molecules.
But if we go by the concepts of chirality, the carbons 2 and 4 are chiral centers ...
3
votes
1answer
102 views
Is the existence of chirality center equivalent to chiral?
To make my question more clear, I want to ask two questions:
Is it possible for molecule to be achiral even though molecule has chirality center?
Is it possible for molecule to be chiral even ...
9
votes
3answers
562 views
Why are carbons of Inositol chiral centers?
I was asked to draw all possible stereoisomers of inositol (1,2,3,4,5,6-cyclohexanehexol). To obtain the answer I had to assume that all six carbons of the molecule are asymmetric, which (bearing in ...
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votes
2answers
746 views
Can we rotate a mirror image by any angle to check if it is superimposable? [closed]
A molecule is chiral when it is different from its mirror image, and achiral if it is identical to its mirror image. To check if the mirror image is identical to the original object, we have to check ...
0
votes
1answer
25 views
How would I know that a compound and its isomers are enantiomers? [closed]
How would I know that a compound and its isomers are enantiomers? Considering the chiral carbons
Consider the compound is 2-bromo-2-chlorobutanedioic acid.
0
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2answers
1k views
Can sp2 hybridised carbon show chirality?
I know that any carbon to show chirality has to be bonded to 4 different atoms (groups of atoms). So a double bond is
considered as that the carbon is achiral. I learnt from my lecturer that ...
1
vote
0answers
38 views
Constraints on rate coefficients in chiral catalytic system
Consider some reversible chemical reaction in a closed system:
$$\ce{A <=> B + D} \tag{1}$$
where $\ce{A}$ is some input reagent and $\ce{B}$, $\ce{D}$ are some output reagents. Let's denote ...
6
votes
1answer
157 views
Use of axis of symmetry
Does an axis of symmetry determine chiralty?
Is axis of symmetry considered a true symmetry?
From the above two links, I read that a compound having axis /alternating axis of symmetry is NOT ...
3
votes
0answers
153 views
X-ray structure analysis mirrored coordinates?
How to ensure, that X-ray crystallography structure analysis was done right to provide correct, non-mirrored atomic coordinates?
Example: Following Wikipedia image,
is generated from data taken from ...
5
votes
0answers
188 views
What compound has the strongest optical rotation of polarised light?
A question recently asked here whether compounds know to be chiral can have non-measurable optical rotations: Are there chiral compounds that don't rotate plane-polarized light?.
Apparently they ...
10
votes
1answer
708 views
Are there chiral compounds that don't rotate plane-polarized light?
I know that meso compounds have chiral centers but don't rotate plane-polarized light, and I know that there can be non-traditionally chiral compounds (e.g. ones with large substituents that prohibit ...
3
votes
1answer
91 views
Assign stereodiscriptor to 4th carbon of 3-ethyl-2,4-dimethly-5-(propan-2-yl)heptane-1,7-diol
Here is the molecule. Clearly the 4th carbon is chiral. I have drawn the diagraph for it, but the exploratory pathways of the left and right chains are the same. So, the problem is that the two chains ...
5
votes
3answers
303 views
Can two lone pairs in different orbitals make a chiral centre?
Is it possible that if the two lone pairs in a molecule occupy different orbitals, then could this make the molecule chiral? What I mean is, suppose a carbon atom is attached to two different atoms ...
0
votes
1answer
997 views
How do we determine molecule chirality in these examples?
I understand that in the first example, the molecule is chiral as there is no symmetry. For the second and third example, I see no symmetry in the 3d conformation after twisting the right hand side. ...
2
votes
1answer
164 views
Why does a chiral carbon affect some hydrogen's hydrogen environment?
In the screenshot attached taken from Khan Academy's video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9B4s0N5yk8&list=PL0pJUwkI0YCZRYrgKqHXZ0XCIu11afbJ8&index=3) the thick pink dot refers to a chiral ...
0
votes
2answers
448 views
Fischer projections
Can somebody tell me how why they changed/choose the groups for vertical and horizontal lines. As far as I know the vertical lines represent group going away from us and horizontal depicts coming ...
0
votes
2answers
266 views
Identifying Meso compounds [closed]
(source: iupac.org)
I can't seem to understand why these compounds are meso compounds..... I don't see any plane of symmetry here. I have trouble identifying meso compounds so can you give me heads ...
4
votes
1answer
587 views
Are there chiral carbons in PVC polymers?
PVC polymers are formed from the monomer CH2=CHCl.
Below picture is a section of PVC molecule.
Is there any chiral carbon centre in this polymer molecule. If yes, then how?
I have a source of CAIE ...
2
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0answers
95 views
Non central chirality in cheminformatics?
What are compact cheminformatics structural representations that allow to deal correctly with axial chirality, such as in binaphthyl compounds or metal complexes?
10
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5answers
3k views
If a chiral molecule reacts with an achiral molecule will the product be chiral or achiral?
My book says that a pair of enantiomers will react the same way with an achiral substance.
How is this possible? Does this imply that the product is achiral, even though the enantiomers are chiral? ...
6
votes
2answers
521 views
Do you assume undrawn hydrogens are pointing away from you when determining R/S?
When determining R/S of stereoisomers, the group with the smallest atomic number needs to be in the back (dashed line). But if no group attached to a chiral center is drawn in dashed line, do we ...
-1
votes
1answer
181 views
Twisting stereoisomers with rings to determine R/S [closed]
I know that if the smallest atomic number group is not in the back, we can twist the molecule so that it is in the back and then determine if it is R/S (Left image). But if the chiral center is ...
-1
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1answer
284 views
Stereogenic Center Question
In cholesterol, I don't understand why the two points I circled are stereogenic centers. Isn't the left carbon attached to an OH, H, CH2, and CH2? And isn't the right carbon attached to CH, CH2, CH, ...
1
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0answers
344 views
Why can tertiary amines not show chirality?
Why is a tertiary amine with three different substituents not chiral? Doesn't the lone pair represent a fourth, different substituent?
2
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0answers
67 views
Prediction of enantiomeric excess through kinetics
Suppose we have a reaction such as the one represented above. Is there a method to estimate enantiomeric excess of the product if the rate constants are known and the product does not isomerize (and ...
1
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0answers
34 views
Readings about chiral resolutions at the undergraduate level
Does anyone know of a resource which clearly explains the scientific theory and experimental methods involved in chiral resolutions?
I have access to the American Chemical Society, Tetrahedron, ...
8
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4answers
994 views
Mismatch of plane of symmetry vs Gold Book's definition for a pseudochiral carbon
Here is pentane-2,3,4-triol:
At first glance, without deciding the configurations at each chiral carbon, we can clearly see that this molecule has a plane of symmetry, perpendicular to the plane of ...
0
votes
1answer
122 views
What does it mean if I am unable to write RS configuration for a compound?
We had to write all possible optically active monochloro derivatives of 2-methylbutane.
I was unable to write RS configurations for 1 and 3, since they have carbon atoms with more than one same groups ...
1
vote
1answer
2k views
How are these molecules chiral and achiral?
I always thought that a molecule couldn't be chiral if it had a plane of symmetry. Doesn't the chiral molecule here have symmetry diagonally across the OHs?
The achiral one doesn't look symmetrical ...
0
votes
1answer
191 views
Are bi-cycles chiral molecules?
I was studying how chirality influences the diastereoselectivity of reactions when I saw 1,4-dihydro-1,4-epoxynaphthalene.
I determine chirality by looking for C with 4 different groups. I see 2 C ...
6
votes
1answer
348 views
How is the cavity of a cyclodextrin chiral?
I am studying the host-guest chemistry of cyclodextrins with achiral aromatic molecules, and I found out that a useful way of studying them is by induced circular dichroism spectroscopy. This ...
