Reason for optical activity(of optical isomers)

Thread starter saurya_mishra
Start date Feb 14, 2006
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Isomers Optical Reason

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Enantiomers are compounds that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other and exhibit optical activity by rotating the plane of polarized light. This phenomenon occurs due to the chiral nature of enantiomers, which means they have asymmetrical structures that interact differently with polarized light. The rotation of polarized light is a result of the interaction between the light waves and the molecular structure of the enantiomer, leading to different optical activities for each enantiomer. For further reading, resources on chirality and optical activity in chemistry can provide deeper insights into the underlying mechanisms.

Feb 14, 2006

saurya_mishra

Can anyone tell me the reason why an enatiomer rotates the plane of polarised light? Or at least tell me where i can read more on the reason why some compounds exibit optical activity.

Thanx
Saurya

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Feb 14, 2006

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There is some discussion of this in another thread:

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=52941

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