Which of the following statements about enantiomers is true?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
Which of the following statements about enantiomers is true?
They have identical physical properties.
They rotate plane-polarized light in opposite directions.
They can be separated by simple distillation.
They have the same molecular formula but different connectivity.
Enantiomers are non-superimposable mirror images and rotate plane-polarized light in opposite directions.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: Which of the following statements about enantiomers is true?
Solution: Enantiomers are non-superimposable mirror images and rotate plane-polarized light in opposite directions.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand what enantiomers are. They are a type of stereoisomer that are mirror images of each other.
Step 2: Recognize that enantiomers cannot be superimposed. This means you cannot place one on top of the other and have them match perfectly.
Step 3: Learn about plane-polarized light. This is light that vibrates in a single plane.
Step 4: Know that enantiomers affect plane-polarized light differently. One enantiomer will rotate the light in one direction (clockwise), while the other will rotate it in the opposite direction (counterclockwise).
Step 5: Conclude that the statement about enantiomers being non-superimposable mirror images and rotating plane-polarized light in opposite directions is true.