Chemistry - STEREO ISOMERISM Question with Solution | TestHub
How many following compounds are optically inactive but can show optical isomerism?
Answer:
Solution:
To find the number of compounds that are optically inactive but can show optical isomerism, we need to look for meso compounds (compounds containing chiral centers but possessing an internal plane of symmetry (POS) or center of inversion (Cᵢ)).
(i) Has two chiral centers and a plane of symmetry (POS), making it an optically inactive meso compound.
(iv) Cis-1,2-dimethylcyclobutane has two chiral centers and a POS, making it a meso compound.
(vii) Cis-1,3-dimethyl-5,5-dimethylcyclohexane has two chiral centers and a POS, making it a meso compound.
(viii) This trans-lactide derivative has two chiral centers and a center of inversion (Cᵢ), making it a meso compound.
Thus, there are exactly 4 such compounds (i, iv, vii, and viii).
