ORGO lecture final exam vocab

chiral

the property of "handedness

achiral

molecules that possess a plane of symmetry

meso

molecules that possess both stereogenic centers and a plane of symmetry

isomers

non-superimposable molecules of the same formula. they may have the same or different connectivities

enantiomers

always exist in pairs

optically active

the property of rotating plane polarized light

constitutional isomers

molecules of the same formula with different connectivities

stereoisomers

molecules of the same formula with different connectivities

racemic mixture

50% R, 50% S

diasteromers

stereoisomers that are not mirror images