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1- Chirality and Enantiomers

Samantha Anderson

Created on June 5, 2022

This is an organic chemistry video tutorial on chirality and enantiomers. You'll learn how to tell if a molecule is chiral or achiral, learn how to identify chirality centers, and learn how to draw the enantiomer of a given molecule.

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Transcript

Chirality & Enantiomers

Start

You'll learn how to:

tell whether or not a molecule is chiral

identify chirality centers

draw the enantiomer of a molecule

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Chirality

How do I know if a molecule is chiral or achiral?

What is chirality?

A chiral molecule or object (like a hand) cannot be superimposed on its mirror image.

Confident Chemistry.

What is chirality?

A chiral molecule or object (like a hand) cannot be superimposed on its mirror image.

Confident Chemistry.
Confident Chemistry.

What is chirality?

A chiral molecule or object (like a hand) cannot be superimposed on its mirror image.

Confident Chemistry.

What is chirality?

An achiral molecule or object CAN be superimposed on its mirror image.

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How can I tell if it's chiral?

The easiest way to tell is to look for a plane of symmetry:

  • Any molecule with a plane or center of symmetry must be achiral.

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How can I tell if it's chiral?

The easiest way to tell is to look for a plane of symmetry:

  • Any molecule with a plane or center of symmetry must be achiral.

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How can I tell if it's chiral?

The easiest way to tell is to look for a plane of symmetry:

  • A chiral molecule does not have an internal plane or center of symmetry.

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ACHIRAL

CHIRAL

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ACHIRAL

CHIRAL

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Chirality Centers

How do I find them? How do they affect molecules?

What are chirality centers?

When an sp3 hybridized atom is connected to four different groups, we call it a chirality center.

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Finding chirality centers:

Usually, it's as simple as looking for carbons attached to four different groups. It can help to draw in implicit hydrogen atoms!

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More about chirality centers:

Heteroatoms (atoms that aren't carbon) can also be chirality centers:

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More about chirality centers:

Heteroatoms (atoms that aren't carbon) can also be chirality centers:

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More about chirality centers:

Molecules with one chirality center will be chiral. Molecules with more than one chirality center may or may not be chiral.

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More about chirality centers:

Molecules with one chirality center will be chiral. Molecules with more than one chirality center may or may not be chiral.

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Axial chirality:

A molecule can have ZERO chirality centers and still be chiral, as long as it has no planes or centers of symmetry. These molecules have a chiral axis rather than a chirality center.

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Find all of the chirality centers:

ANSWER

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Enantiomers

How do I draw the enantiomer of a chiral molecule?

What are enantiomers?

A chiral molecule and its mirror image are enantiomers of one another.

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How to draw the enantiomer of a molecule:

1. Reflect molecule in a mirror plane and re-draw:

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How to draw the enantiomer of a molecule:

1. Reflect molecule in a mirror plane and re-draw:

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How to draw the enantiomer of a molecule:

2. Swap any two groups on every chirality center and re-draw the molecule:

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How to draw the enantiomer of a molecule:

2. Swap any two groups on every chirality center and re-draw the molecule:

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Enjoy this type of learning?

Check out all of the resources at www.confidentchemistry.com.

Let's go!

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