Symmetry

Name:
Symmetry
Detailed information:
Arrangement of the constituents of a molecule in a definite and continuously repeated space pattern or coordinate system. It is described in terms of three parameters called elements of symmetry(1) The center of symmetry, around which the constituent atoms are located in an ordered arrangement; there is only one such center in a molecule, which may or may not be an atom. (2) Planes of symmetry, which represent division of a molecule into mirror-image segments. (3) Axes of symmetry, represented by lines passing through the center of symmetry; if the molecule is rotated it will have the same position in space more than once in a complete 360 degree turn, e.g., the benzene molecule with 6 axes of symmetry requires a 60-degree rotation to return to its identical position.See Stereochemistry; Asymmetry.