Question

(a) Define the following:
(i) Enantiomers
(ii) Racemic mixture

Hint:

Enantiomers can be separated by chiral chromatography, and racemic mixtures can be resolved into their constituent enantiomers using techniques like recrystallization or enzymatic methods.

Answer 1

(i) Enantiomers: Enantiomers are pairs of molecules that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. They have identical physical properties but differ in their interaction with plane-polarized light and in the way they interact with other chiral substances. For example, the right- and left-handed forms of a chiral molecule are enantiomers. 

(ii) Racemic mixture: A racemic mixture is a mixture containing equal amounts of two enantiomers of a chiral compound. In a racemic mixture, the optical activities of the enantiomers cancel each other out, resulting in no net optical rotation.