Optical Isomer

Name:
Optical Isomer
Detailed information:
Either of two kinds of optically active three-dimensional isomers (stereoisomers). One kind is represented by mirror-image structures called enantiomers that result from the presence of one or more asymmetric carbon atoms in the compound (glyceraldehyde, lactic acid, sugars, tartaric acid, amino acids). The other kind is exemplified by diastereoisomers, which are not mirror images. These occur in compounds having two or more asymmetric carbon atoms; thus, such compounds have 2_n optical isomers, where n is the number of asymmetric carbon atoms.See Enantiomer; Diastereoisomer; Optical Rotation; Asymmetry.