2-butanol has a chiral center and can exist as both R and S enantiomers.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: What is the stereochemistry of 2-butanol?
Solution: 2-butanol has a chiral center and can exist as both R and S enantiomers.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Identify the structure of 2-butanol. It has a four-carbon chain with an -OH (hydroxyl) group on the second carbon.
Step 2: Determine if there is a chiral center. A chiral center is a carbon atom that is attached to four different groups.
Step 3: Look at the second carbon in 2-butanol. It is attached to an -OH group, a hydrogen atom, a carbon chain (C1), and another carbon chain (C3). Since these are all different, this carbon is a chiral center.
Step 4: Identify the possible configurations around the chiral center. The two configurations are called R (rectus) and S (sinister).
Step 5: Conclude that 2-butanol can exist in two forms: R-2-butanol and S-2-butanol, which are enantiomers of each other.
