No. of chiral centres in lactic acid COOH(CH)OH are?
Correct answer: B. One
- A. Two
- B. One
- C. Three
- D. Four
Explanation
Lactic acid, with the chemical formula CH3CH(OH)COOH, contains one chiral center. A chiral center is a carbon atom bonded to four different groups. In lactic acid, the carbon atom bonded to the hydroxyl group (OH), the carboxyl group (COOH), a hydrogen atom (H), and a methyl group (CH3) is chiral because these four groups are all different. This chiral carbon gives rise to two possible stereoisomers of lactic acid: L-lactic acid and D-lactic acid, which are mirror images of each other and cannot be superimposed.
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About Isomerism
Isomerism occurs when compounds have the same molecular formula but different atom arrangements or spatial orientations. The content includes chain, position, functional, metameric and tautomeric isomerism, along with geometrical and optical isomerism, including cis-trans forms, E/Z notation, chirality and enantiomers.
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