Stereochemistry of 2-Butanol

Medium Organic Chemistry Stereochemistry

Consider the molecule 2-butanol, which has the following structure:

2-butanol structure

2-butanol exists as two enantiomers due to its chiral center at the second carbon atom. One of these enantiomers rotates plane-polarized light to the right, while the other rotates it to the left. These enantiomers are denoted as R-2-butanol and S-2-butanol. Each enantiomer has distinct properties and reactions in biological systems.

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding the stereochemistry of 2-butanol?

R-2-butanol and S-2-butanol have identical physical properties.

The S enantiomer of 2-butanol rotates plane-polarized light to the right.

R-2-butanol is the only form that can participate in hydrophobic interactions.

R-2-butanol and S-2-butanol are nonsuperimposable mirror images.

Hint

Submitted6.5K

Correct4.7K

% Correct71%