Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Versatile CO2 Transformations into Complex Products: A One-pot Two-step Strategy
Published on: November 9, 2019
Determining Inversion Barriers in Atrop- isomers - A Tutorial for Organic Chemists.
Michel Rickhaus1, Lukas Jundt1, Marcel Mayor2
1Department of Organic Chemistry University of Basel St. Johanns-Ring 19 CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
This tutorial clarifies enantiomeric stability, differentiating enantiomerization and racemization with unified nomenclature. It details calculating inversion barriers and determining rate constants for dynamic systems.
Area of Science:
- Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
- Chemical Kinetics
Background:
- Dynamic behavior is crucial for understanding molecular motion in systems.
- Enantiomeric stability is key to controlling molecular transformations.
- Existing nomenclature for enantiomerization and racemization can be ambiguous.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an in-depth examination of key descriptors for enantiomeric stability.
- To propose a unified and distinct nomenclature for enantiomerization and racemization.
- To offer a comprehensive guide to calculating inversion barriers and determining kinetic parameters.
Main Methods:
- Fundamental discussion and differentiation of enantiomerization and racemization.
- Mathematical deduction of relationships between kinetic and thermodynamic parameters.
- Step-by-step demonstration of determining rate constants and thermodynamic parameters using common techniques.
- Practical guide to statistical data analysis and Monte-Carlo simulations for error determination.
Main Results:
- A unified nomenclature for enantiomerization and racemization is proposed.
- Mathematical relationships between inversion barriers, thermodynamic, and kinetic data are established.
- Practical methodologies for calculating inversion barriers and determining rate constants are demonstrated.
Conclusions:
- Understanding dynamic behavior and enantiomeric stability is vital for molecular control.
- The proposed nomenclature enhances clarity in describing stereochemical transformations.
- This tutorial equips researchers with tools for accurate kinetic and thermodynamic analysis of dynamic systems.
Related Concept Videos
SN2 Reaction: Stereochemistry
If the substrate is an achiral molecule at the α-carbon, the inversion of configuration is not...
Woodward–Hoffmann Selection Rules and Microscopic Reversibility
SN1 Reaction: Stereochemistry
In the first step of an SN1 reaction, the bond between the electrophilic carbon and the leaving group ionizes to generate the carbocation intermediate. The second step of the mechanism is the nucleophilic attack.
In the formed carbocation, the positively charged carbon is sp2 hybridized with a trigonal planar geometry. As all the three substituents lie on the same plane, a plane of symmetry for the...
Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds
Naming Enantiomers
Isomerism

