What type of stereoisomer is shown by butan-2-ol and how can we prove it?
The answer is optical isomerism. Optical isomerism exists when a carbon has 4 different groups attached to it. In Butan-2-ol, the second carbon has a hydroxy group, ethyl group, a methyl group and a hydrogen attached. Furthermore, to test if this molecule is an optical isomer, we shine plane polarised monochromatic light, which will not rotate the light.
AI
Related Chemistry A Level answers
All answers ▸What is fractional distillation used for in industry? Explain the molecular basis behind it.
What is the position of chemical equilibrium and how can it change? (A-Level/high GCSE)
How can you tell if a reaction is endothermic or exothermic? Describe a way of determining if a reaction is exothermic or endothermic using simple laboratory equipment.
A buffer was made by mixing 20cm3 of 0.05M NaOH and 20cm3 of 0.25M propanoic acid. Calculate the pH. Ka=1.34x10^-5