- 2072 Asoj · 2 marks
Racemic mixture vs meso compound
Short answer
A racemic mixture is an equimolar mixture of two enantiomers, optically inactive due to external cancellation, and can be separated. A meso compound is a single achiral molecule with chiral centers but an internal plane of symmetry, permanently inactive and cannot be resolved.
Differentiate between racemic mixture and meso compound.
| Basis | Racemic mixture | Meso compound |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Equimolar mixture of two enantiomers (d + l) | A single pure compound |
| Chiral centres | Each molecule is chiral | Has chiral centres but is achiral overall |
| Cause of inactivity | External compensation | Internal compensation (plane of symmetry) |
| Resolution | Can be separated into d and l forms | Cannot be resolved |
| Example | (±)-lactic acid, (±)-tartaric acid | meso-tartaric acid |
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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