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OPTICAL ISOMERISM
R W Grime
Ripon Grammar School
Molecular mirror images
Optical isomerism and chirality
Enantiomers and racemates
Self-Test: recognising optical isomers from structural formulae
Polarimetry: recognising optical isomers by experiment
Examples of optical isomers and their importance
thalidomide
carvone
limonene
All molecules have a mirror image
but for most molecules it is the same
molecule.
H
F
H
F
fluoromethane
For some molecules the mirror image
is a different molecule (the mirror
image is non-superimposable).
OH
OH
COOH
CH3
(-) lactic acid
in sour milk
HOOC
H3C
(+) lactic acid
in muscles
Left and right hands are an example
of non-superimposable mirror images.
This usually happens when a molecule contains a C
atom with four different groups attached (chiral /
asymmetric C).
Such molecules are said to be chiral or optically active.
The optical isomers are called enantiomers.
These are distinguished by +/-, D/L or more correctly R/S.
A 50/50 mixture of the two enantiomers is called a racemic
mixture or a racemate and shows no optical activity
TASK
Some of the following molecules
are optically active.
For each one, click its name below and decide whether it is optically active or not.
Click again to see if you are correct.
a) propan-2-ol
e) butanone
b) 2-chlorobutane
f) 2-methylbutanoic acid
c) 1-chlorobutane
g) butan-2-ol
d) 3-methylhexane
h) 1-chloro-3-methylpentane
propan-2-ol
CH3
CH
CH3
OH
NOT OPTICALLY ACTIVE
Click here to go back to the optical isomerism task
2-chlorobutane
CH3
CH
CH2
CH3
Cl
CH2CH3
CH2CH3
CH3
Cl
H3C
Cl
OPTICALLY ACTIVE
Click here to go back to the optical isomerism task
1-chlorobutane
CH2
CH2
CH2
Cl
NOT OPTICALLY ACTIVE
Click here to go back to the optical isomerism task
CH3
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3-methylhexane
CH3 CH2 CH CH2 CH2 CH311
CH3
CH2CH 2CH 3
CH2CH2CH 3
CH3
CH2CH 3
CH3
CH3CH2
OPTICALLY ACTIVE
Click here to go back to the optical isomerism task
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butanone
CH3
CH2
CH3
NOT OPTICALLY ACTIVE
Click here to go back to the optical isomerism task
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propan-2-ol
CH3
CH
CH3
OH
NOT OPTICALLY ACTIVE
Click here to go back to the optical isomerism task
2-methylbutanoic acid
CH3
CH3
CH2
CH3
CH
CH2CH3
CH2CH3
H
COOH
H
HOOC
OPTICALLY ACTIVE
Click here to go back to the optical isomerism task
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OH
CH3
OH
butan-2-ol
CH3
CH3
CH2
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CH
CH3
CH2CH3
CH2CH3
H
OH
H
HO
OPTICALLY ACTIVE
Click here to go back to the optical isomerism task
CH3
CH3
1-chloro-3-methylpentane
CH3
CH3
CH2
CH
Cl
CH2
CH2
CH2CH3
CH2CH3
H
CH2CH2Cl
H
CH2ClCH2
OPTICALLY ACTIVE
Click here to go back to the optical isomerism task
CH3
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Molecules that are optical isomers are
called enantiomers.
Enantiomers have identical chemical
and physical properties, except:
Their effect on plane polarised light;
Their reaction with other chiral molecules
Light is a form of electromagnetic
radiation.
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The wave vibrations are perpendicular
to the direction of travel of the wave.
normal light
(waves vibrate in all directions)
plane-polarised light
(vibrates in only one direction)
plane-polarised light after
clockwise rotation
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Optical isomers rotate the plane of
plane polarised light.
(-)-enantiomer
(anticlockwise rotation)
(+)-enantiomer
(clockwise rotation)
()-racemate
(no overall effect)
POLARIMETERS
can be used to analyse the effect optical
isomers have on plane polarised light:
Heriot Watt University has a web page with an interactive tutorial
and self-test questions about this topic: http://scholar.hw.ac.uk/site/chemistry/activity5.asp?outline
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Chiral molecules often react differently with
other chiral molecules.
This is like the idea that a right hand does
not fit a left handed glove the molecule
must be the correct shape to fit the molecule
it is reacting with.
Many natural molecules are chiral and most
natural reactions are affected by optical
isomerism.
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For example, most amino acids (and
so proteins) are chiral, along with
many other molecules.
In nature, only one enantiomer usually
occurs (e.g. all natural amino acids
rotate polarised light to the left).
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Many drugs are optically active, with
one enantiomer only having the
beneficial effect.
In the case of some drugs, the other
enantiomer can even be harmful, e.g.
thalidomide.
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In the 1960s thalidomide was given
to pregnant women to reduce the
effects of morning sickness.
This led to many disabilities in babies
and early deaths in many cases.
The photographs are both from Molecule of the Month at Bristol University:
http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/thalidomide/start.html
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NH
O
O
H2C
NH
O
C
C
N
CH2
H
O
S thalidomide (effective drug)
The body racemises each
enantiomer, so even pure S is
dangerous as it converts to R in
the body.
CH2
H2C
H
O
R thalidomide (dangerous drug)
Thalidomide was banned
worldwide when the effects were
discovered.
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Your nose is chiral too!
CH3
CH3
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CH2
H3C
S carvone (caraway seed)
Caraway Seed has a warm, pungent,
slightly bitter flavour with aniseed overtones.
H2C
CH3
R carvone (spearmint)
CH3
CH3
CH2
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CH2
CH3
H3C
S limonene (lemons)
R limonene (oranges)
