COURSE: B.

PHARMACY, 4 Sem, UNIT-1: STEREOISOMERISM

Dr. Bintoo Sharma

D.PHARM

B. PHARM

PHARM D (POST BACCALAUREATE)

Assistant professor, JGIPT, (AHERA)

UNIT-1: STEREOISOMERISM

1. Introduction
Page No.
1.1 Structural Isomerism 2
1.2 Stereoisomerism 2
2. Optical Isomerism 2
2.1 Plane polarized Light 2-3
3. Optical Activity 4
3.1 Angle of Rotation 4
3.2 Specific Rotation 4
4. Chiral and Achiral Molecule 4-6
5. Element of symmetry 6-7
6. Enantiomers and Diastereomers 7
7. Meso Compound 7-8
8. Racemic mixture 8
8.1 Resolution of racemic mixtures 8-9
9. Configuration 9

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9.1 Relative Configuration 9-10

9.2 Absolute Configuration 10-11
10. Asymmetric Synthesis 11

STEREOISOMERISM

1. INTRODUCTION: Many organic compounds have same molecular formula but are different
in their physical and chemical properties. These compounds are known as isomers and this
property is known as isomerism.

1.1 STRUCTURAL ISOMERISM

- Structural isomers are compounds that have same molecular formula but different structural
formulas.
- Types of Structural isomers:
(i) Chain isomerism (ii) Position isomerism (iii) Functional isomerism (iv) Metamerism (v)
Tautomerism

1.2 STEREOISOMERISM: The isomers have the same structural formula but differ in relative
arrangement of atoms or groups in space within the molecule are known as stereoisomers and the
phenomenon as stereoisomerism. It can be further classified into three types:-

1. Geometrical isomerism
2. Optical isomerism
3. Conformational isomerism

2. OPTICAL ISOMERISM:- Any substance that rotates the plane polarized light is optically
active and the phenomenon related to it is called optical isomerism.

2.1 Plane polarised light:- Ordinary light consists of electromagnetic waves that oscillate in all
planes perpendicular to the direction in which the light travels. Passing light through a polarizer
allows light in only one plane to come through. This is plane-polarized light (or simply polarized
light), and it has an electric vector that oscillates in a single plane.

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A POLARIMETER is an instrument that allows plane-polarized light to travel through a sample

tube containing an organic compound. After the light exits the sample tube, an analyzer slit is
rotated to determine the direction of the plane of the polarized light exiting the sample tube. There
are two possible results. With achiral compounds, the light exits the sample tube unchanged, and
the plane of the polarized light is in the same position it was before entering the sample tube. A
compound that does not change the plane of polarized light is said to be optically inactive.

With chiral compounds, the plane of the polarized light is rotated through an angle α. The angle
α, measured in degrees (°), is called the observed rotation. A compound that rotates the plane of
polarized light is said to be optically active.

The rotation of polarized light can be in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

e rotation is clockwise (to the right from the noon position), the compound is called
dextrorotatory. The rotation is labeled d or (+).

levorotatory. The rotation is labeled l or (–).

3. OPTICAL ACTIVITY:- Substances which can rotate the plane polarised light through a
certain angle are called optically active substances and this property of a substance by virtue of
which the organic substances rotate the plane polarised light is called as optical activity. If the
plane polarised light shows no change in angle it means that the substance is optically inactive.

3.1 Angle of rotation:- The angle through which the plane polarized light is rotated by an
optically active substance is called as angle of rotation. It is denoted by α.

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3.2 SPECIFIC ROTATION:- The observed rotation depends on the number of chiral molecules
that interact with polarized light. This in turn depends on the concentration of the sample and the
length of the sample tube. To standardize optical rotation data, the quantity specific rotation (*α+)
is defined using a specific sample tube length (usually 1 dm), concentration, temperature (25 °C),
and wavelength (589 nm, the D line emitted by a sodium lamp).
- Specific rotations are physical constants just like melting points or boiling points, and are
reported in chemical reference books for a wide variety of compounds.

4. CHIRAL AND ACHIRAL MOLECULES

mirror image and the property of non-superimposability is called chirality.

mirror image is
called achiral (non-dissymmetric or unsymmetrical).

or groups is called an asymmetric carbon atom or a chiral atom. A chiral atom is indicated by an
asterisk (*).

If a molecule contains only one chiral centre/atom, then the molecule has to be optically active
(i.e. non superimposable on its mirror image) as it will not contain any element of symmetry.
Molecules containing two or more chiral centers may or may not be chiral (optically active).

whole which is optically active, whereas chiral centre is for an atom which is attached to form
different atoms/groups.

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Cholesterol has eight chiral centres

Relationships between Chiral Centers and Chiral Molecules

- The term chiral center refers to an atom in the molecular structure. The term chiral molecule
refers to the entire molecule.
- The presence of one chiral center renders the entire molecule chiral. The presence of two or more
chiral centers may or may not result in the molecule being chiral. In the examples given below the
chiral centers are indicated with an asterisk. The vertical broken line represents a plane of
symmetry.
Ibuprofen: One chiral center renders the molecule chiral

cis-1,2 dimethylcyclohexane trans-1,2- dimethylcyclohexane is a chiral molecule

is an achiral molecule

CHIRALITY:- The property of nonsuperimposability of an object on its mirror image is called

chirality. Such molecule has no symmetry elements of the second kind. If the molecule is
superposable on its mirror image, it is ACHIRAL.

5. ELEMENT OF SYMMETRY:-
To exhibit optical activity molecule must not have the symmetry elements, (a) plane of symmetry
(b) centre of symmetry (c) n-fold alternating access of symmetry. If these three are absent then
only the compounds exhibits optical activity.

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Plane of symmetry: A molecule is said to possess a plane of symmetry if the atoms or groups on
one side of the plane forms the mirror image of those on the other side. In other words, a plane
which bisects a molecule/object in two equal halves.

Centre of symmetry:
- A centre of symmetry in a molecule is said to exist if a line is drawn from any atom or group to
this point and then extended to an equal distance beyond this point meets the identical atom or
group. A centre of symmetry is usually present only in an even membered ring.

n-Fold alternating access of symmetry: If a rotation by 360º/n degrees (n = 1, 2, 3, …)followed

by reflection in plane perpendicular to the access taken results in identical molecule the compound
said to be possess n-fold alternating access of symmetry. If plane of symmetry or centre of
symmetry is present then n-fold alternative access of symmetry is present. If plane of symmetry or
centres of symmetry are absent then n-fold alternating access of symmetry will be absent. If the n-
fold alternating access of symmetry present then the molecule is optically inactive, if absent then
optically active.

6. ENANTIOMERS & DIASTEREOMERS

Enantiomers Diastereomers
An enantiomer is one of two stereoisomers that are Diastereomers (or diastereoisomers) are
non-superimposable complete mirror images of each stereoisomers that are not enantiomers (non-
other. superimposable mirror images of each other).

Molecules must contain atleast one chiral centers. Molecules must contain more than one chiral
center.

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Enantiomers have, when present in a symmetric Diastereomers can have different physical properties
environment, identical chemical and physical and different reactivity. In another definition
properties except for their ability to rotate plane diastereomers are pairs of isomers that have opposite
polarized light by equal amounts but in opposite configurations at one or more of the chiral centers
directions. but are not mirror images of each other.
Racemic mixture is not possible.
A mixture of equal parts of an optically active isomer
and its enantiomer is termed Racemic and has a net
rotation of plane polarized light of zero.

2-bromo-3-chlorobutane

7. MESO COMPOUND
- An optically inactive compound whose molecule is superimposable on its mirror image inspite
of the presence of chiral carbon atoms is called a meso compound.
- If a molecule has two or more chiral centers, it is usually chiral. The exceptions are meso‐
molecules, which are not chiral. These are molecules that due to symmetry have chiral centers that
‘cancel’ each other out.
- Has two or more chiral centers
- Has a plane of symmetry.

I and II are enantiomers (non-superimposable); III and IV are meso form (superimposable).

8. RACEMIC MIXTURE
- A racemic mixture is a 1:1 mix of two enantiomers (Each of a pair of molecules that are mirror
images of each other).
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- No matter how many molecules are in a mixture, it is racemic if there are equal numbers of the
two enantiomers.
- The racemic mixture produces a net optical rotation - of plane polarized light - of zero degrees.
This is because the mixture contains equal amounts - equimolar mixture - of both enantiomers
that have opposite rotations.
- A racemic mixture is a solution containing equal amounts of a pair of enantiomers.

A solution containing equal amounts of (R)-2-butanol and (S)-2-butanol is a racemic mixture.

8.1 RESOLUTION OF RACEMIC MIXTURES

- The separation of a racemic mixture into the individual enantiomerically pure enantiomers is
called resolution.
- Since enantiomers have identical physical properties, such as solubility, boiling point and
melting point, they cannot be resolved by common physical techniques such as direct
crystallization, distillation or basic chromatography.
- The main difficulty in a process of resolution is that d or (+) and l or (–) forms have identical
physical and chemical properties, so they cannot be separated by ordinary methods. However, the
following methods can be used for this purpose.
(i) Mechanical separation:
d or (+) and l or (–) forms of a substance exits in well-defined crystalline forms, the
separation can be done by hand picking with the help of magnifying lens and a pair of tweezers.

method.

having different shape.

(ii) Biochemical separation:

bacteria or moulds are added to a solution of a racemic mixture, they

decompose one of the optically active forms more rapidly than the other.

For example, when the mould, racemic ammonium tartarate, the mould completely
decomposes the d form white l form is left practically unaffected. The main drawback of the

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method is that half of the material is destroyed during resolution. The process is very slow and
only small amounts of the materials can be separated.
(iii) Chemical separation:
of resolution. The racemic mixture is made to combine with
another optically active compound and the resulting solubility in various solvents.

ture of lactic acid is allowed to combine with the optically active

base (-) strachnine or (+) brucine.

9. CONFIGURATION: The arrangement of atoms that characterizes a particular stereoisomer is

called its configuration.
9.1 Relative configuration: The position of atoms or groups in space in relation to (i.e., relative
to) something else in the molecule. Compare with absolute configuration, which is independent
of atoms or groups elsewhere in the molecule.

Relative to the position of the methyl group, the chlorine atom is on the same face of
the cyclohexane ring. The stereocenter bearing the chlorine atom has an R absolute configuration
(this configuration does not involve or depend on positions elsewhere in the molecule). Hence this
molecule is cis-1-chloro-2-methylcyclohexane or (1R, 2S)-1-chloro-2- methylcyclohexane.

Cis-2-pentene Trans-2-pentene
(Z)-2-pentene (E)-2-pentene

In cis-2-pentene, the methyl and ethyl groups are on the same side of the alkene. The groups with
highest Cahn-Ingold-Prelog priority are on the same face of the alkene, so this is also (Z)-2-
pentene. In trans-2-pentene, also named (E)-2-pentene, the methyl and ethyl groups are on opposite
faces of the alkene. Cis, trans, E, and Z are all designations of relative configuration.

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D-glyceraldehyde D-glucose
At the stereocenter next to the CH2OH carbon, both of these monosaccharides have the OH group
pointing to the right, so they have the same relative configuration. This relative
configuration is indicated with the prefix D. D and L are designations of relative
configuration.

9.2 Absolute configuration: R,S-System

- An absolute configuration refers to the spatial arrangement of the atoms of a chiral molecular
entity (or group) and its Stereochemical description e.g. R (Rectus) or S (Sinister).
- The arrangement of atoms in an optically active molecule, based on chemical interconversion
from or to a known compound, is a relative configuration. Relative, because there is no way of
knowing just by looking at a structure whether the assignment of (+) or (-) is correlated to a
particular isomer, R or S.
- R and S notations are used only to describe asymmetric molecules following Cahn-Ingold-
Prelog (CIP) sequence rules.
(a) Rule I: first we assign the priority numbers to the four atoms/groups attached to chiral centre
according to CIP rules. For example in the case of CHClBrI, the four atoms attached to the chiral
center are all different and priority will be given based on atomic weight, thus the priority follows
as I, Br, Cl, H.

Rule 2: If two or more of the atoms that are bonded directly to the chiral center are the same, then
prioritize these groups based on the next set of atoms (i.e., atoms adjacent to the directly bonded
atoms). Continue until priorities can be assigned. Priority is assigned at the first point of difference.

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