Chemistry > Isomerism > 7.0 Optically active compounds having no asymmetric carbon

  Isomerism
    1.0 Isomerism
    2.0 Structural Isomerism
    3.0 Tautomerism
    4.0 Geometrical isomerism in the compounds containing C=N
    5.0 Optical Isomerism
    6.0 Optical isomerism in compounds having more than one chiral carbons
    7.0 Optically active compounds having no asymmetric carbon

7.2 Difference between Racemic mixture and Meso compound
A racemic mixture contains equimolar amounts of enantiomers. It is optically inactive due to external compensation.

External compensation: If equimolar amounts of d and l-isomers are mixed in a solvent, the solution is inactive. The rotation of each isomer is balanced (or) compensated by the equal but opposite rotation of the other. Optical inactivity having this origin is described as due to external compensation. Such mixtures of $(+)$ and $(–)$ isomers (Racemic mixtures) can be separated into the active components.

A meso compound is optically in active due to internal compensation.

Internal compensation: In meso tartaric acid the inactivity is due to effects within the molecule and not external. The force of rotation due to one of the molecule is balanced by the opposite and equal force due to the other half. The optical inactivity so produced is said to be due to internal compensation. It occurs whenever a compound containing two (or) more asymmetric carbon atoms has a plane (or) point of symmetry. Since the optical inactivity of such a compound arises within the molecule, the question of separating into active components does not arise.

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