Skip to main content
Chemistry LibreTexts

Diastereomers

  • Page ID
    39595
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Diastereomers are stereoisomers that are not mirror images of each other.

    eg. 1:

    diastereomers1.png

    1 and 2 have the same molecular formula and the same structural formula and, therefore, are stereoisomers. 1 and 2 are not mirror images of each other. Thus, they are diastereomers.

    eg. 2:

    diastereomers2.png

    3 and 4 have the same molecular formula and the same structural formula and, therefore, are stereoisomers. 3 and 4 are not mirror images of each other. Thus, they are diastereomers.

    eg. 3:

    diastereomers3.png

    5 and 6 have the same molecular formula and the same structural formula and, therefore, stereoisomers. 5 and 6 are not mirror images of each other. Thus, they are daiastereomers.

    Cis-Trans isomers are a subset of diastereomers; all cis-trans isomers are diastereomers, but not all diastereomers are cis-trans isomers.


    This page titled Diastereomers 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.

    • Was this article helpful?