Orgo Q....need help(optically not active)

[biostudent101]

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Hey guys,

I am a little rusty in determining whether a compound is optically not active. I know that a compound that is not optically active has no chiral carbon but has symmetry. I alos know that a meso compound is optically inactive, but has symmetry and a chiral carbon. So if a compound is optically inactive, that does not mean that it is necessarily a Meso Compound, right?

Thanks!!!
Yelena

 

[sfrice80]

that is correct, it doesn't mean that its automatically a meso compound.

 

[ZH1988]

Hey guys,

I am a little rusty in determining whether a compound is optically not active. I know that a compound that is not optically active has no chiral carbon but has symmetry. I alos know that a meso compound is optically inactive, but has symmetry and a chiral carbon. So if a compound is optically inactive, that does not mean that it is necessarily a Meso Compound, right?

Thanks!!!
Yelena

no a racemic mixture is also inactive