Topic Details (Notes format)

Optical Isomers

Subject: Chemistry

Book: General Chemistry

Optical isomers (enantiomers) are non-superimposable mirror images, typically arising from a chiral center (an atom bonded to four different groups). They have identical physical properties (melting point, boiling point) but differ in rotating plane-polarized light and in biological activity. The study of chirality is essential in pharmaceuticals, as one enantiomer can be therapeutically active while the other may be inactive or harmful.

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