How can you tell if a molecule is achiral?

1 Answer
May 15, 2018

See if it is chiral or not.

Explanation:

By looking at molecular structures a chiral compound has a C atom with 4 different atoms or group attached. If it does not have this it is achiral.

By experimentation: chiral compounds rotate plane polarised light either clockwise or anticlockwise as they exist as a pair of isomers.

Be careful, though, a 50:50 mix of each isomer [a racemic mixture] will have the two rotations cancelling each other out and so no rotation will be detected.