CH 9: Stereochemistry

Renee Y. BeckerCHM 2210

Valencia Community College

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Stereochemistry• Some objects are not the

same as their mirror images (technically, they have no plane of symmetry)– A right-hand glove is

different than a left-hand glove. The property is commonly called “handedness”

• Organic molecules (including many drugs) have handedness that results from substitution patterns on sp3 hybridized carbon

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Why this Chapter?

• Handedness is important in organic and biochemistry

• Molecular handedness makes possible specific interactions between enzymes and substrates

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Enantiomers and the Tetrahedral Carbon

• Enantiomers are molecules that are not the same as their mirror image

• They are the “same” if the positions of the atoms can coincide on a one-to-one basis (we test if they are superimposable, which is imaginary)

• This is illustrated by enantiomers of lactic acid

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Examples of Enantiomers

• Molecules that have one carbon with 4 different substituents have a nonsuperimposable mirror image – enantiomer

• Build molecular models to see this

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The Reason for Handedness: Chirality

• Molecules that are not superimposable with their mirror images are chiral (have handedness)

• A plane of symmetry divides an entire molecule into two pieces that are exact mirror images

• A molecule with a plane of symmetry is the same as its mirror image and is said to be achiral (See Figure 9.4 for examples)

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Chirality

• If an object has a plane of symmetry it is necessarily the same as its mirror image

• The lack of a plane of symmetry is called “handedness”, chirality

• Hands, gloves are prime examples of chiral object– They have a “left” and a “right” version

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Plane of Symmetry

• The plane has the same thing on both sides for the flask

• There is no mirror plane for a hand

Example 1:

Which of the following does not have a plane of symmetry?

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BrBr

H H

HCl

H Cl

H

Br

H

Br

1) 2)

3) 4)

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Chiral Centers

• A point in a molecule where four different groups (or atoms) are attached to carbon is called a chiral center

• There are two nonsuperimposable ways that 4 different different groups (or atoms) can be attached to one carbon atom– If two groups are the same, then there is only one way

• A chiral molecule usually has at least one chirality center

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Chiral Centers in Chiral Molecules

• Groups are considered “different” if there is any structural variation (if the groups could not be superimposed if detached, they are different)

• In cyclic molecules, we compare by following in each direction in a ring

Example 2:

• Which of the following has a chiral center?

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Cl

ClH

Br

Br

BrH

CH3

Br

BrH

H

Cl

BrH

CH3

1 2 3

4

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Optical Activity

• Light restricted to pass through a plane is plane-polarized

• Plane-polarized light that passes through solutions of achiral compounds remains in that plane

• Solutions of chiral compounds rotate plane-polarized light and the molecules are said to be optically active

• Phenomenon discovered by Jean-Baptiste Biot in the early 19th century

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Optical Activity

• Light passes through a plane polarizer

• Plane polarized light is rotated in solutions of optically active compounds

• Measured with polarimeter

• Rotation, in degrees, is []

• Clockwise rotation is called dextrorotatory, (+)

• Anti-clockwise is levorotatory, (-)

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Measurement of Optical Rotation

• A polarimeter measures the rotation of plane-polarized that has passed through a solution

• The source passes through a polarizer and then is detected at a second polarizer

• The angle between the entrance and exit planes is the optical rotation.

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Pasteur’s Discovery of Enantiomers

• Louis Pasteur discovered that sodium ammonium salts of tartaric acid crystallize into right handed and left handed forms

• The optical rotations of equal concentrations of these forms have opposite optical rotations

• The solutions contain mirror image isomers, called enantiomers and they crystallized in distinctly different shapes – such an event is rare

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Sequence Rules for Specification of Configuration

• A general method applies to the configuration at each chiral center (instead of to the whole molecule)

• The configuration is specified by the relative positions of all the groups with respect to each other at the chiral center

• The groups are ranked in an established priority sequence and compared

• The relationship of the groups in priority order in space determines the label applied to the configuration, according to a rule

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Sequence Rules (IUPAC)

Rule 1:• Assign each group priority according to the Cahn

Ingold-Prelog scheme

• With the lowest priority group pointing away, look at remaining 3 groups in a plane

• Clockwise is designated R (from Latin for “right”)

• Counterclockwise is designated S (from Latin word for “left”)

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Rule 2:• If decision can’t be reached by ranking the first atoms

in the substituents, look at the second, third, or fourth atoms until difference is found

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Rule 3:• Multiple-bonded atoms are equivalent to the same

number of single-bonded atoms

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Example 3: Assign Priorities

C

CO OH

H3CNH2

H

natural alanine

1

2

3 4

Cl

HCl

H

*

1

2

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3

4

CC

O

H

CH CH2

CH2OHCH(CH3)2

* CC

C

CH2OHCH(CH3)2

HO

O

C

CH CH2

C

*

expands to

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Example 4:

Draw a 3-D structure for each compound, star all chiral centers. Draw the mirror image of each and state whether you have drawn a pair of enantiomers or just the same molecule. Which is R, which is S?

1. 1-bromobutane2. 2-bromo-2-butanol3. 2-pentanol

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1. 1-bromobutane

CH3CH2CH2

Br

HH CH3CH2CH2

Br

HH

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2. 2-bromo-2-butanol

CH3H3C

OH

Br

OH

Br

C H

3H3C

OH

Br

OH

Br

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3. 2-pentanol

OH

HCH

3

OH

HCH

3

CH3CH2CH2CH3CH2CH2

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Chiral: nonsuperimposable (not identical) mirror image of each other, having an enantiomer, “handed”, does not have a mirror plane, optically active

Enantiomers: mirror image isomers, pairs of compounds that are nonsuperimposable mirror images

Achiral: superimposable mirror image, (identical), “not handed”, does have a mirror plane, not optically active

Meso Compound: compound that has chiral centers but because of a mirror plane the molecule is not chiral

Diastereomers: Stereoisomers that are not mirror images, Geometric isomers (cis-trans), molecules with 2 or more chiral carbons.

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Diastereomers

• Molecules with more than one chiral center have mirror image stereoisomers that are enantiomers

• In addition they can have stereoisomeric forms that are not mirror images, called diastereomers

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Diastereomers

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At least 1 chiral center stays the same and at least 1 chiral center is opposite

Table 9.2

Stereoisomer Enantiomer Diastereomer

2R, 3R 2S, 3S 2R, 3S or 2S, 3R

2S, 3S 2R, 3R 2R, 3S or 2S, 3R

2R, 3S 2S, 3R 2R, 3R or 2S, 3S

2S, 3R 2R, 3S 2R, 3R or 2S, 3S

example opposite 1 opposite and 1 same

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Meso Compounds

• Tartaric acid has two chiral centers and two diastereomeric forms

• One form is chiral and the other is achiral, but both have two chiral centers

• An achiral compound with chiral centers is called a meso compound – it has a plane of symmetry

• The two structures on the right in the figure are identical so the compound (2R, 3S) is achiral

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Racemic Mixtures and The Resolution of Enantiomers

• A 50:50 mixture of two chiral compounds that are mirror images does not rotate light – called a racemic mixture (named for “racemic acid” that was the double salt of (+) and (-) tartaric acid

• The pure compounds need to be separated or resolved from the mixture (called a racemate)

• To separate components of a racemate (reversibly) we make a derivative of each with a chiral substance that is free of its enantiomer (resolving agent)

Racemic Mixtures and The Resolution of Enantiomers

• This gives diastereomers that are separated by their differing solubility

• The resolving agent is then removed

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A Review of Isomerism

• The flowchart summarizes the types of isomers we have seen

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Constitutional Isomers

• Different order of connections gives different carbon backbone and/or different functional groups

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Stereoisomers

• Same connections, different spatial arrangement of atoms– Enantiomers (nonsuperimposable mirror images)– Diastereomers (all other stereoisomers)

• Includes cis, trans and configurational

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Stereochemistry of Reactions: Addition of H2O to Alkenes

• Many reactions can produce new chiral centers from compounds without them

• What is the stereochemistry of the chiral product?• What relative amounts of stereoisomers form?• Example addition of H2O to 1-butene

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Achiral Intermediate Gives Racemic Product

• Addition via carbocation• Top and bottom are equally accessible

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Stereochemistry of Reactions: Addition of H2O to a Chiral Alkene

• What is the sterochemical result of the addition of H2O to a chiral alkene R-4-methyl-1-hexene

• Product has 2 chiral centers

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Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur

• N, P, S commonly found in organic compounds, and can have chiral centers

• Trivalent nitrogen is tetrahedral• Does not form a chiral center since it rapidly flips• Individual enantiomers cannot be isolated

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• Also applies to phosphorus but it flips more slowly

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Resolution of Enantiomers

React a racemic mixture with a chiral compound to form diastereomers, which can be separated.

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ChromatographicResolution of Enantiomers

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Prochirality

• A molecule that is achiral but that can become chiral by a single alteration is a prochiral molecule

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Chirality in Nature and Chiral Environments

• Stereoisomers are readily distinguished by chiral receptors in nature

• Properties of drugs depend on stereochemistry

• Think of biological recognition as equivalent to 3-point interaction

• See Figure 9-17

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Fischer Projections

• Flat drawing that represents a 3D molecule• A chiral carbon is at the intersection of horizontal

and vertical lines.• Horizontal lines are forward, out-of-plane.• Vertical lines are behind the plane.

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Fischer Rules

• Carbon chain is on the vertical line.

• Highest oxidized carbon at top.

• Rotation of 180 in plane doesn’t change molecule.

• Do not rotate 90!

• Do not turn over out of plane!

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Fischer Mirror Images

• Easy to draw, easy to find enantiomers, easy to find internal mirror planes.

CH3

H Cl

Cl H

CH3

CH3

Cl H

H Cl

CH3

CH3

H Cl

H Cl

CH3

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Fischer (R) and (S)

• Lowest priority (usually H) comes forward, so assignment rules are backwards!

• Clockwise 1-2-3 is (S) and counterclockwise 1-2-3 is (R).

CH3

H Cl

Cl H

CH3

(S)

(S)

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Example 5:

Label each chiral carbon as R or S

OHH

CH2OH

CHO

BrH

CH2OH

CH2OH

BrBr

CH3

CH2Br

OHH

OHH

CH2OH

CHO

OHH

OHH

CH2OH

CH2OH

HOH

OHH

CH2OH

CH2OH

BrH

CH3

CH2CH3

HNH2

CH3

COOH

1) 2) 3)

4) 5)6)

7) 8)

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Example 6:

For each pair give the relationship: enantiomers, diastereomers, same compound

BrH

CH3

CH3

HBr

HCH3

Br

CH3

BrH

OHH

OHH

CH2OH

CHO

HOH

OHH

CH2OH

CHO

HOH

OHH

CHO

OHH

CH2OH

OHH

HOH

CHO

HOH

CH2OH

1) (2R,3S)-2,3-dibromohexane and (2S,3R)-2,3-dibromohexane2) (2R,3S)-2,3-dibromohexane and (2R,3R)-2,3-dibromohexane

3)

and

4)

and

5)

and

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Example 7:

Label chiral or meso compound

OHH

HOH

CH3

CH3

ClBr

ClBr

CH2OH

CH2OH

OHH

HOH

CH3

HOH

OHH

CH3

H

Br

H

Cl

1) 2)

3) 4)