Stereoisomerism
Stereoisomerism
Stereoisomerism
Types of Isomer
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Types of Isomers
CH3-CH2-CH2-CH3 CH3CH2CH2OH
n-butane 1-propanol
and
and
CH3
OH
/ │
CH3-CH CH3-C-CH3
\
CH3 │
2 methyl propane H 2-propanol
Structural Isomers
Functional Isomers
Rearrangement of atoms that leads to change in functional group(s).
• C2H6O has two functional isomers.
• These have the same number of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
atoms, but they are arranged in different functional groups to give
either ethanol (CH3CH2OH) or dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3).
Functional Isomers
(Tautomers)
• Tautomers are functional isomers that exist in an
equilibrium that allows them to be easily
interconverted.
• An example is keto-enol tautomerism.
Ethanal Ethenol
Stereoisomers
Geometric Isomers
Maleic acid (cis isomer) Fumaric acid (trans isomer)
• H-C-OOH • H-COOH
║ ║
H-C-OOH HOO-C-C-H
m.p. 130 C m.p. 287 C
pKa1 = 1.92
pKa1 = 3.02
• Doesn’t form internal
• Forms internal anhydride
anhydride
Stereoisomers
Enantiomers
HOOC COOH
Applications to Biochemistry
Pasteur & Tartaric Acid
• In 1848 Louis Pasteur resolved (separated) an
optically inactive substance (tartaric acid) into
two optically active components.
• Each of the optically active components had
properties identical to tartaric acid
(density, melting point, solubility, etc.) except
that one of the components rotated the polarized
light clockwise (+) while the other component
rotated the polarized light by the same amount
counter-clockwise (-).
Pasteur & Tartaric Acid
• Pasteur made a proposal that still stands as the
foundation of stereochemistry: The twin molecules of
tartaric acid were mirror images of each other!
• Additional research by Pasteur revealed that one
component of tartaric acid could be utilized for
nutrition by micro-organisms but the other could not.
• On the basis of these experiments, Pasteur concluded
that biological properties of chemical substances
depend not only on the nature of the atoms
comprising the molecules but also on the manner in
which these atoms are arranged in space.
Amino Acids
• Amino acids have
the general
formula:
Glycine
• R-CH-COOH
|
NH2