What is the optical activity of the product formed when propanone is refluxed with HCN with KCN dissolved in ethanol and why?

The product formed (hydroxybutanitrile) is optically inactive because the nitrile nucleophile can attack the propane at its carbonyl bond which is trigonal planar about it. There is an equal chance of it attacking above or below the bond which means that the product is a racemic mixture (equal amounts of both enantiomers) who's optical activity cancel each other out, making the product optically inactive

AY
Answered by Aditya Y. Chemistry tutor

2643 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

Explain why water has a higher boiling point than hydrogen iodide.


Back in 1950s, it was common to have as house cleaning items bleaching solution (containing sodium hypochlorite) and ammonia (used to remove, for example, hair dye stains). However, many people ended up in hospital after using them both, why?


What is optical isomerism and how can you distinguish between optical isomers?


What is clonal selection?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning