Isomerism

Question 1

what is optical isomerism

Answer 1

a type of isomerism where isomers have the same structural formula but different arrangements of atoms in space.

Question 2

what is a chiral carbon

Answer 2

a carbon with 4 different groups attached to it

Question 3

how do chiral carbons lead to optical isomerism

Answer 3

When the groups around a chiral carbon are arranged differently, it results in two non-superimposable mirror image structures called enantiomers

Question 4

what does plane polarized light effect optical isomers

Answer 4

Normal light vibrates in all directions while plane polarised light vibrates in one direction only.
Optical isomers are optically active meaning they rotate plane polarised light.One enantiomer rotates it clockwise, while the other enantiomer rotates it anticlockwise by the same angle.

Question 5

what is racemic mixture

Answer 5

is an equimolar mixture containing equal amounts of two enantiomers