Stereochemistry

Name:
Stereochemistry
Detailed information:
A subdiscipline of organic chemistry devoted to study of the three-dimensional spatial configurations of molecules. One aspect of the subject deals with stereoisomers—compounds that have identical chemical constitution, but differ as regards the arrangement of the atoms or groups in space. Stereoisomers fall into two broad classes: optical isomers and geometric (cis-trans)isomers. Another aspect of stereochemistry concerns control of the molecular configuration of high-polymer substances by use of appropriate (stereospecific) catalysts.See Optical Isomer; Enantiomer; Asymmetry; Polymer, Stereospecific; Ziegler Catalyst; Geometric Isomer.