JCE Online Journal of Chemical EducationDivision of Chemical Education, American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical Society
 | Subscriptions  | Software Orders  | Support  | Contributors  | Advertisers  | 

JCE Print
   Current Issue
 Previous Issues
 Supplements
 Search JCE Index

JCE Digital Library
   ChemInfo
 DigiDemos
 Featured Molecules
 LivTexts
 LrnCom
 QBank
 SymMath
 WebWare

JCE Software
   Latest Releases
 Software & Video
 Downloads
 Support

Only@JCE Online
   JCE Online Store
 JCE HS CLIC
 JCE Discussion Forums
   Biographical Snapshots
 ChemEd Resource Shelf
 Featured Molecules
 Hal's Picks
 Project Chemlab
 Reviewed WWW Sites
 "Web-Ed" Articles

About JCE
   Features
 Publications
 Operations
 Outreach
 Contact Us


  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2006  > December  >
In the Classroom
Chemical Principles Revisited
Precision in Stereochemical Terminology
LeRoy G. Wade, Jr.
Department of Chemistry, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA 99362
Cover
December 2006
Vol. 83 No. 12
p. 1793
Abstract
Many organic chemists have begun to use the Mislow term stereocenter (or stereogenic atom) as an alternative to the traditional term asymmetric carbon atom and the slightly broader IUPAC term chirality center. But the term stereocenter is defined much more broadly. It includes a wide variety of structures that are neither chirality centers nor asymmetric carbon atoms. The rules that students learn about asymmetric carbon atoms are no longer true when one substitutes the broader term stereocenter. Asymmetric carbon atoms are defined structurally, and students can easily find them to use as a tool to help in understanding the stereochemistry and finding the stereoisomers. In contrast, students must already know which stereoisomers exist to identify the stereocenters. This article recommends that instructors use the precise terms asymmetric carbon atom and chirality center when they apply, and use the broader term stereocenter only when there is a need to include stereogenic atoms that are not chirality centers.
More Information
*
Citation
Wade, LeRoy G., Jr. J. Chem. Educ. 2006 83 1793.
*
Keywords
Chirality / Optical Activity; Diastereomers; Enantiomers; Misconceptions / Discrepant Events; Organic Chemistry; Second-Year Undergraduate; Stereochemistry
*
History
Created:
Last Updated:
10/30/2006
10/31/2006
<< Previous Article Table of Contents Next Article >>
  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2006  > December  > Page 1793


Subscriptions
 Subscription Info
 Order Forms

JCE HS CLIC

Our Secondary School editors work hard to distill all the JCE materials to produce a fraction of particular interest to high school teachers. We call it CLIC.
 JCE HS CLIC

Contributions Welcome
JCE welcomes your submission
 Contributors' Corner

Advertisers
In recent years we have worked hard to better match our advertisers with our readers. When shopping for chemistry education materials, visit our advertisers' WWW sites first.
 Recent Advertisers

Be An Ambassador
Take JCE along on your outreach missions. Copies of the Journal, guest access to JCE Online, our publications catalog, and more are available for your participants.
 Outreach with JCE

Comments to
jceonline@chem.wisc.edu		 Copyright © Division of Chemical Education, Inc., American Chemical Society.
All rights reserved.