Chirality And Stereoisomers - Dr. Neufeldt

The enantiomer of "meth" is used in an over-the-counter medicine to help alleviate nasal congestion.

In the 1950s, the drug thalidomide was prescribed to pregnant women for morning sickness. However, it was halted because the (S) enantiomer of the drug caused birth defects. This means that one specific form of the drug, the (S) enantiomer, was responsible for the harmful effects on developing fetuses. The discovery of this link led to the discontinuation of thalidomide as a treatment for pregnant women.

The correct answer suggests that the discovery of chiral amino acids in the Murchison meteorite implies that the origins of homochirality (the preference for one enantiomer over the other) might be extraterrestrial. This means that the meteorite could have brought these chiral molecules to Earth, potentially playing a role in the development of life on our planet.

The compound that smells like lemons and is the enantiomer of a compound that smells like oranges is called limonene. Limonene is a naturally occurring compound found in the peels of citrus fruits, particularly lemons and oranges. It has a strong citrus scent and is commonly used as a flavoring agent in food and beverages. The enantiomer of limonene, called perillyl alcohol, also has a citrus-like odor but smells more like oranges.

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In the given question, we are asked to assign the absolute configuration in (–)-limonene. The answer provided is S. Absolute configuration refers to the spatial arrangement of atoms or groups in a chiral molecule. In (–)-limonene, there is a chiral carbon atom, and the priority of the substituents attached to it can be determined using the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog priority rules. By assigning priorities to the substituents and rotating the molecule to align the lowest priority group away from us, we find that the rotation is counterclockwise, indicating an S configuration. Therefore, the correct answer is S.

In the 1950s, thalidomide was prescribed to pregnant women as a treatment for morning sickness. However, it was halted because the (S) enantiomer of the drug caused birth defects. This means that one specific form of the drug, the (S) enantiomer, was responsible for the harmful effects on the developing fetus. The (R) enantiomer, on the other hand, did not cause birth defects. This discovery led to the withdrawal of thalidomide from the market and stricter regulations on the use of drugs during pregnancy.

The stereochemistry of (+)-naproxen is S. This is because the lipase enzyme only reacts with one of the enantiomers of the racemic methyl ester, resulting in the formation of (+)-naproxen. Since the lipase enzyme is selective for a specific enantiomer, it determines the stereochemistry of the product. Therefore, the stereochemistry of (+)-naproxen is determined to be S.

The enantiomer of "meth" is used in an over-the-counter medicine to help alleviate nasal congestion. An enantiomer is a molecule that is a mirror image of another molecule but cannot be superimposed on it. In the context of the question, the enantiomer of "meth" refers to a specific molecule that has similar properties and effects as "meth" but is used for a different purpose, namely to alleviate nasal congestion. This answer choice is the only one that accurately describes the enantiomer of "meth" and its usage.

The absolute configuration of the two chiral centers in the compound (-)-Aspartame is Blue = S and Red = S.

The correct answer is "the origins of homochirality might be extraterrestrial." This hypothesis suggests that the presence of chiral amino acids in a meteorite implies that the origins of homochirality, the preference for one enantiomer over another, could be from extraterrestrial sources. This discovery raises the possibility that the building blocks of life on Earth may have originated from outer space.