Chiral compounds

• A. have one or more stereocenters in the molecule.
• B. are nonsuperimposable mirror images.
• C. have enantiomers.
• D. exhibit optical isomerism.
• E. all of the above

Answer: (E)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of chirality. Chiral compounds are molecules that cannot be superimposed on their mirror images. This property is due to the presence of stereocenters, which are atoms in a molecule that are connected to four different groups.
2. Step 2: Explore the concept of stereocenters. A stereocenter is typically a carbon atom bonded to four different substituents, leading to different spatial arrangements. These arrangements are what make the molecule chiral.
3. Step 3: Learn about enantiomers. Enantiomers are pairs of chiral molecules that are nonsuperimposable mirror images of each other. They have identical physical properties except for the direction in which they rotate plane-polarized light.
4. Step 4: Understand optical isomerism. Optical isomerism is a form of stereoisomerism where the isomers differ in the way they interact with polarized light. Chiral compounds exhibit optical isomerism because their enantiomers rotate light in opposite directions.
5. Step 5: Conclude that all the statements are correct. Chiral compounds indeed have stereocenters, are nonsuperimposable mirror images, have enantiomers, and exhibit optical isomerism, confirming that the correct answer is 'all of the above'.