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how do we check any meso compound???

how do we check any meso compound???

Grade:12

1 Answers

SAGAR SINGH - IIT DELHI
878 Points
13 years ago

Dear dimpy,

A meso compound or meso isomer is a chemical compound whose molecules contain 2 or more asymmetric atoms (stereocenters) but is optically inactive (or achiral). Which means that it has no mirror images of each other.

For a compound with multiple asymmetric carbons, the presence of an internal plane of symmetry indicates that the compound is achiral. The cis isomer of cyclooctene is also considered a meso compound. The trans form can be resolved into an enantiomeric pair.

Meso compounds are a special case of stereoisomers which occur when a molecule has two chiral centers and each chiral center has identical substituants.




Consider the stereoismers of 2,3-dibromobutane.


Both C-2 and C-3 are chiral centers, they are sp3 hybridized and they have four different substituants: -H, -CH3, -Br and -CHBrCH3.




Notice that both chiral centers have the same substituants.




In this case, we have the possiblity of stereoisomers called meso compounds.

 

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Sagar Singh

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