FREE ONE-MONTH ACCESS
Institutional (.edu or .org) Email Required
Register Now!
No institutional email?
Start your 1-week free trial, now!
Isomers
Isomers
- An isomer is a molecule that has the same structural formula as another molecule, but has a different order or a different spatial arrangement of atoms.
- Isomers can be divided into two broad categories:
- Constitutional isomers, which have a different order of attachments but the same formula;
- Stereoisomers, which have the same order of attachments but different spatial arrangements.
- There are two types of stereoisomers: enantiomers and diastereomers.
- BOTH types of isomers are non-superimposable isomers. With both hands palms down, place one on top of the other and see that you can't place one hand perfectly on top of the other: your fingers go in different directions – this is what we mean by non-superimposable.
- Enantiomers are mirror images of each other whereas diastereomers are not. So now have your palms face one another, and see that they are mirror images of each other.
- Both enantiomers and diastereomers have at least one chiral carbon atom.