optically active

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lsexie

Pharmacist
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how can you tell if a compound is optically active or inactive

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Ok the simple awser is if it bends polarized light a certain number of degrees in the + or - direction. The other part of this is that chiral molucules are optically active and if you have only one enantiomer of the molecule it will bend light. If here is a racimic mixture of the molecles they will cancel eachother out and the light will not bend.
 
you also have to consider if there is a plane of symmetry.
 
Meso compounds (line of symmetry) are always optically inactive because the upper portion will have the opposite spin as the bottom portion. (racemic mixture)
Often times enantiomers are optically active.

Basically to be active both portions of the molecule have to bend light the same way, and not opposite ways.
 
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