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Chemistry · Glossary

What is Enantiomers, racemic mixture?

Also known as: enantiomers · racemic mixture

Definition 39.5 School Chemistry — Grades 1 to 12 · Chapter 39 — Stereochemistry: Chirality and Isomers

Two stereoisomers that are mirror images of each other and not superimposable are enantiomers. A mixture of equal amounts of two enantiomers is a racemic mixture.

The two enantiomers of lactic acid, CH3-CH(OH)-COOH, in Cram representation. The central carbon is asymmetric (H, OH, CH3, COOH). No rotation turns A into B: they are as different as a left and a right hand.
The two enantiomers of lactic acid, CHX3−CH(OH)−COOH\ce{CH3-CH(OH)-COOH}, in Cram representation. The central carbon is asymmetric (H\ce{H}, OH\ce{OH}, CHX3\ce{CH3}, COOH\ce{COOH}). No rotation turns A into B: they are as different as a left and a right hand.
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