All books

Professional

Apps About Coach Log in Start reading

Chemistry · Glossary

What is Stereogenic centre, chirality?

Also known as: chiral · achiral · chirality · stereogenic centre

Definition 16.6 University Chemistry — Year 1 · Chapter 16 — Stereochemistry in Depth

An object is chiral if it cannot be superposed on its mirror image, achiral otherwise; the property is chirality. A stereogenic centre is an atom at which exchanging two substituents gives a stereoisomer; a tetrahedral carbon with four different substituents is one.

Read in context →