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What is Stereochemistry in Chemistry?
The study of the spatial arrangement of atoms in molecules is called stereochemistry. In chemistry, stereochemistry is the study of the way atoms are arranged in molecules and the way they interact with one another. The word “stereo” comes from the Greek word for “solid” or “three-dimensional.”
Molecules can have a variety of shapes, and the way the atoms are arranged in a molecule can affect the molecule’s properties. For example, the molecule of water, H2O, has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The hydrogen atoms are attached to the oxygen atom on opposite sides of the molecule, and this arrangement is called a “diatomic molecule.”
The way the atoms are arranged in a molecule can also affect how the molecule behaves. For example, the water molecule is a polar molecule. This means that the electrons in the molecule are not evenly distributed. One end of the molecule has a negative charge, and the other end has a positive charge. This polarity affects the way the molecule behaves when it interacts with other molecules.
Brief About Stereochemistry
Stereochemistry is the study of the relative spatial arrangement of atoms within molecules. It is also known as 3-D chemistry because it considers the three dimensions of space.
Stereochemistry is important because the spatial arrangement of atoms within molecules can affect their chemical reactivity and physical properties. For example, the two enantiomers of a molecule (molecules that are mirror images of each other) can have very different chemical and physical properties.
The term “stereochemistry” was first coined by Jean-Baptiste Dumas in 1848.
More about Stereochemistry
In stereochemistry, the spatial arrangement of atoms in molecules is important. This is because different stereoisomers (molecules that have the same chemical formula but a different spatial arrangement of atoms) can have different biological activities. For example, one stereoisomer of a drug might be effective, while another might not.
There are two types of stereoisomers: enantiomers and diastereomers. Enantiomers are molecules that are mirror images of each other, and diastereomers are molecules that are not mirror images of each other.
Types of Stereoisomers
There are three types of stereoisomers: enantiomers, diastereomers, and optical isomers. Enantiomers are mirror images of each other that cannot be superimposed. They are created when a carbon atom has four different groups attached to it. Diastereomers are not mirror images of each other, and they can be superimposed. They are created when a carbon atom has two different groups attached to it. Optical isomers are enantiomers that rotate plane-polarized light.
Stereoisomerism
A type of structural isomerism in which molecules with the same molecular formula but different structures are called stereoisomers.
Enantiomers
have the same chemical formula but are mirror images of each other.
D and L are the two types of enantiomers.
The D form is the one that is found in nature.
Diastereomers
are molecules that are mirror images of each other but are not identical.
They have different physical properties and different chemical reactivities.
Importance of Stereochemistry – Thalidomide Disaster
One of the most infamous examples of the importance of stereochemistry occurred in the early 1960s when thalidomide was marketed as a sedative. It was soon found, however, that the drug caused birth defects in children whose mothers had taken it during pregnancy.
Thalidomide is a chiral molecule, meaning that it has two different forms that are mirror images of each other (enantiomers). The form of thalidomide that caused the birth defects was the one that was not the mirror image of the form that was intended to be used as a sedative.
Facts about Stereochemistry
Stereochemistry is the study of the three-dimensional structure of molecules.
Stereochemistry is important in drug development because it can affect how a molecule interacts with its target.
Stereochemistry can also affect a molecule’s pharmacokinetics, or how it is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted.
Stereochemistry and Regiochemistry
The stereochemistry of a molecule is its three-dimensional structure. The regiochemistry of a molecule is the location of its functional groups.
