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Absolute Configuration

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    16419

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    The absolute configuration at a chiral center in a molecule is a time-independent and unambiguous symbolic description of the spatial arrangement of ligands around it.

    eg:

    absoluteconfiguration-1.png

    The chiral centers in 1 and 2 bear the same ligands: a,b,d, and e. However, 1 and 2 are not superimposable on each other, meaning that the arrangement of ligands around the chiral center in 1 and in 2 is different. 1 and 2 are mirror images of each other, meaning that the arrangement of ligands around the chiral center in 1 is the exact opposite of that in 2. Chiral centers in 1and 2 are said to have opposite absolute configurations.

    According to R,S convention, if the absolute configuration at the chiral center in 1 is R, that at the chiral center in 2 is S or vice versa.

    This page titled Absolute Configuration is shared under a All Rights Reserved (used with permission) license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Gamini Gunawardena via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.

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