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11 grade chemistry others

Meso compound do not show optical activity because:A.They do not contain chiral carbon atomsB.They have non- super imposable mirror imagesC.They contain plane of symmetryD.They do not contain plane of symmetry

Profile image of Aniket Singh
1 Year agoGrade
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1 Answer

Profile image of Askiitians Tutor Team
1 Year ago

C. They contain a plane of symmetry.

Meso compounds are molecules that possess chiral centers but also have an internal plane of symmetry. This internal symmetry cancels out the optical activity of the compound because the two chiral halves mirror each other perfectly, resulting in no net optical rotation. Therefore, option C, "They contain a plane of symmetry," is the correct explanation for why meso compounds do not show optical activity.