Grade 11Organic Chemistry

Is “optically active” the same as “ chiral carbon” ?

Satviki Pathak

11 Years agoGrade 11

2 Answers

Aarti Gupta

11 Years ago

Optically active is an term which is used to describe an organic compound that shows optical activity.In this phenomenon the compound can rotate the plane of polarised light either to right or to left.So we will get two isomers generally called as enantiomers called as dextro-rotatory or laevo-rotatory respectively.Now this phenomenon is observed in only those organic compounds which have chiral carbon.Chiral carbon is that carbon which is attatched to four different groups.Thus we can say that an compound will be optically active only if it has an chiral carbon which is also called as asymmetric carbon.

Abhishek Singh

11 Years ago

no they are totally different things.

Optically active substances are substances which change the plane of polarisation of ppl light either to left or right. the compound must have non-superimosable mirror image.

Chiral carbon is a assymeteric (only sp³ ) carbon whose diff. valency is satisfied with diif. groups.

presence of chiral carbon atom is a necessary but not sufficient codition for optically.active.