3.3.7 OPTICAL ISOMERISM

Carbon attached to 4 different atoms/ groups of atoms

Mirror images -When if two objects are on top of eachother, they dont form the same shape.
eg your hands

Molecules/compounds with same structural formula but have different spatial arrangement of atoms leading to 2 non-superimposable isomers due to chiral centre

Enantiomers

Molecules which can rotate plane polarised light like chiral molecules

One will rotate it clockwise by set angle while other will rotate it anticlock wise by same set angle

Mixture which contains equal amounts of both enantiomers making it look optically inactive

Carbonyl group(C=O) has planar arrangement(120 degrees due to double bond) so Nucleophile can attack from ABOVE or below
Occurs between aldehydes/ketones and nucleophile(CN,H+)