Meso question

[Jordwin]

Can a odd-carbon chain be meso? Such as three for example? My thought process was that if there were three stereocenters, then the one in the middle would have to be r or s, so it couldn't be meso. Thoughts?

 

[ChrisM07]

Is this sort of what you mean?



The first one looks meso to me (five carbons)? The one with three carbons below lacks the symmetry so I would say no to that one.

What do you think?

 

[Jordwin]

Close, but say the first one had a chiral carbon in the middle of the other two that you had as chiral.