Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry
Enantio
topic:
A set of atoms or
groups
whose replacement leads to
enantiomers
.
or
(
R
)-2-bromo
butane
(
S
)-2-bromo
butane
The
secondary hydrogen atoms
of
butane
are
enantio
topic because their replacement with a bromine atom forms either (
R
)-2-bromo
butane
or (
S
)-2-bromo
butane
, a pair of
enantiomers
. However, the
methyl hydrogen atoms
of
butane
are
homotopic
(they are
equivalent
) because replacing any one of these six hydrogen atoms with a bromine atom leads to the same
molecule
, 1-bromo
butane
.
Related terms:
Diastereotopic
,
enantioselective
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