Stereochemistry
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[[Image:Isomerism.png|thumb|right|350px|The different types of [[isomer]]s. Stereochemistry focuses on [[stereoisomer]]s]]
'''Stereochemistry''', a subdiscipline of [[chemistry]], involves the study of the relative spatial arrangement of [[atom]]s within [[molecule]]s. An important branch of stereochemistry is the study of [[chirality (chemistry)|chiral]] molecules <ref>{{JerryMarch}}</ref>.
Stereochemistry is a hugely important facet of chemistry and the study of stereochemical problems spans the entire range of [[Organic chemistry|organic]], [[Inorganic chemistry|inorganic]], [[Biochemistry|biological]], [[Physical chemistry|physical]] and [[Supramolecular chemistry|supramolecular]] chemistries.
Stereochemistry includes methods for determining and describing these relationships; the effect on the [[physics|physical]] or [[biology|biological]] properties these relationships impart upon the molecules in question, and the manner in which these relationships influence the reactivity of the molecules in question ([[dynamic stereochemistry]]).
[[Louis Pasteur]] could rightly be described as the first stereochemist, having observed in [[1849]] that [[salt]]s of [[tartaric acid]] collected from [[wine]] production vessels could rotate plane [[polarized light]], but that salts from other sources did not. This property, the only physical property in which the two types of tartrate salts differed, is due to [[optical isomerism]]. In [[1874]], [[Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff]] and [[Joseph Le Bel]] explained optical activity in terms of the tetrahedral arrangement of the atoms bound to carbon.
One of the most infamous demonstrations of the significance of stereochemistry was the [[thalidomide]] disaster. Thalidomide is a [[Medication|drug]], first prepared in [[1957]] in [[Germany]], prescribed for treating morning sickness in [[pregnancy|pregnant]] women. The drug however was discovered to cause deformation in [[baby|babies]]. It was discovered that one optical isomer of the drug was safe while the other had [[Teratogenesis|teratogenic]] effects, causing serious [[genetics|genetic]] damage to early [[embryo|embryonic]] growth and development. In the human body, thalidomide undergoes [[racemization]]: even if only one of the two stereoisomers is ingested, the other one is produced. Thalidomide is currently used as a treatment for [[leprosy]] and must be used with contraceptives in women to prevent pregnancy-related deformations.
This disaster was a driving force behind requiring strict testing of drugs before making them available to the public.
[[Cahn Ingold Prelog priority rules| Cahn-Ingold-Prelog priority rules]] are part of a system for describing a molecule's stereochemistry. They rank the atoms around a stereocenter in a standard way, allowing the relative position of these atoms in the molecule to be described unambiguously. A [[Fischer projection]] is a simplified way to depict the stereochemistry around a stereocenter.
Types of [[stereoisomerism]] are:
* [[Atropisomerism]]
* [[Cis-trans isomerism|''Cis''-''trans'' isomerism]]
* [[Conformational isomerism]]
* [[Diastereomers]]
* [[Enantiomers]]
* [[Rotamer]]s
==See also==
* [[Chirality (chemistry)]]
* [[Stereocenter]]
* [[Dynamic stereochemistry]]
==External links==
* [http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/thalidomide/first.html Information on Thalidomide]
* [http://microscopy.fsu.edu/featuredmicroscopist/modderman/galleryindex.html Polarized photomicrographs of crystalline chemicals with descriptions and uses, including tartaric acid]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Organic chemistry}}
{{Reaction mechanisms}}
[[Category:Stereochemistry| ]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
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