Question

What is the stereochemistry of a product?

A) Racemic mixture
B) Optically inactive
C) Diastereomers
D) Meso product

Answer 1

Hint: The answer here is based on the basic organic chemistry which includes the fact that the reaction is bromination and bromine adds to double bond and there are two products obtained. This fact leads you to the correct answer.

Complete step by step solution:
In the classes of organic chemistry, we have come across the various concepts relating to stereochemistry of a molecule and the changes in the stereochemistry when it undergoes a reaction.
Now, let us focus on what is stereochemistry and how can this be assigned.
‘ Stereochemistry is nothing but the study of how the molecules are affected by the way that their atoms are arranged in a space ‘. Here, the word stereo refers to three dimensional.
- Thus, stereochemistry is also known as three dimensional chemistry.
- Stereochemistry also helps chemists to work on the relationships between different molecules that are made up of the same atoms.
Now, in the above question, the alkene derivative is treated with bromine in carbon tetrachloride and this is typical bromination reaction where carbon tetrachloride acts as solvent and bromine adds across the double bonds in two possible ways as shown below:

Therefore, the above products formed have the same atoms and different arrangement and these are not mirror images and therefore are not superimposable.
Thus, this forms a pair of diastereomers.
So, the correct answer is “Option C”.

Note: Note that the stereochemistry seems to get easy if the molecules are being imagined in a space and assigning them the structures while writing. This work will help you to solve stereochemistry problems.