Periodic Table

Atoms or groups of a molecule which are related by an n-fold rotation axis (n = 2, 3, etc) are called homotopic. For example, chiral tartaric acid (C2 axis), chloroform (C3 axis) and cyclohexaamylose ([alpha]-cyclodextrin, C6 axis) have respectively two homotopic carboxyl groups, three homotopic chlorine atoms and six homotopic D-glucose residues. See prochirality.






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