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Topic: How can this be a chiral carbon?  (Read 928 times)

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Offline INeedSerotonin

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How can this be a chiral carbon?
« on: February 06, 2020, 05:31:54 PM »
Hello

R1R2HC-CH3

I've read that this compound can have a chiral carbon if R1 = R2 = CH3

However, I cannot visualize it. I tried writing it as CH3 CH2 CH2 CH3, but there is no chiral carbon there.

Perhaps that's a wrong information? I feel lost here.

Thanks

Offline Borek

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Re: How can this be a chiral carbon?
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2020, 06:08:37 PM »
By definition chiral carbon has four different substituents, so if any two are identical, carbon is not chiral. Something is wrong here.
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Offline AWK

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Re: How can this be a chiral carbon?
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2020, 04:28:55 AM »
Rather R1 ≠ R2 ≠ CH3
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Offline INeedSerotonin

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Re: How can this be a chiral carbon?
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2020, 10:51:00 AM »
Thank you, guys! I guess that was a printing error. It makes sense now.

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