Stereochemistry: Crash Course Organic Chemistry #8

The shape of molecules is super important to life as we know it. In this episode of Crash Course Organic Chemistry we’re learning about stereochemistry and how to identify molecules as chiral or achiral. And as always, we’ll be doing a lot of practice!

Episode Sources:
“THINK BIG! Must the molecules of life always be Left-Handed or Right-Handed?” Smithsonian Magazine.
Spinoff 2004 - “A NATURAL WAY TO STAY SWEET”, NASA.

Series Sources:
Brown, W. H., Iverson, B. L., Ansyln, E. V., Foote, C., Organic Chemistry; 8th ed.; Cengage Learning, Boston, 2018.
Bruice, P. Y., Organic Chemistry, 7th ed.; Pearson Education, Inc., United States, 2014.
Clayden, J., Greeves, N., Warren., S., Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed.; Oxford University Press, New York, 2012.
Jones Jr., M.; Fleming, S. A., Organic Chemistry, 5th ed.; W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 2014.
Klein., D., Organic Chemistry; 1st ed.; John Wiley & Sons, United States, 2012.
Louden M., Organic Chemistry; 5th ed.; Roberts and Company Publishers, Colorado, 2009.
McMurry, J., Organic Chemistry, 9th ed.; Cengage Learning, Boston, 2016.
Smith, J. G., Organic chemistry; 6th ed.; McGraw-Hill Education, New York, 2020.
Wade., L. G., Organic Chemistry; 8th ed.; Pearson Education, Inc., United States, 2013.

***
Watch our videos and review your learning with the Crash Course App!

Thanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever:

Catherine Conroy, Leonora Rossé Muñoz, John M Lee, Patty Laqua, Stephen Saar, Eric Prestemon, Sam Buck, Mark Brouwer, William McGraw, Siobhan Sabino, Mark W Billian, Jason Saslow, Jennifer Killen, Jon & Jennifer Smith, Jonathan Zbikowski, Shawn Arnold, Trevin Beattie, Matthew Curls, Khaled El Shalakany, Ian Dundore, Kenneth F Penttinen, Eric Koslow, Timothy J Kwist, Indika Siriwardena, Caleb Weeks, Zhu Junrong, HAIXIANGN/A LIU, Nathan Taylor, Alan Bridgeman, Andrei Krishkevich, Brian Thomas Gossett, SR Foxley, Alexander Thomson, Tom Trval, Justin Zingsheim, Brandon Westmoreland, dorsey, Jessica Wode, Nathan Catchings, Yasenia Cruz, Jirat
--

Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?

[Keriously]

R for 'right handed'

S for 'shleft handed'

[henryelicker]

This video has brought to light Samuel L. Jackson's secret twin, Samuel D. Jackson.

[DoodlesintheMembrane]

As a beginner educational content creator, I’ve been waiting so long for crash course organic chemistry to begin. Finally seeing these videos puts a smile on my face :)

[qu]

Whenever I watch this channel I can only think about (other than the video topic) how long it must take to write the script in order to have maximum information density.

[vblake]

I majored in Chemistry in college and I am a physician now. You’re giving me PTSD.

[Brahmdagh]

*WHY ARE WE NOT INVESTING IN L-GLUCOSE RESEARCH!*

[niko-nips]

I don't really understand what Ive just learned. But I like these feeling of knowing something new

[tryingmabest]

absolutely no one said its a lil too easy show me something complicated lol.
great lecture btw thanks!

[anne]

For the R/S nomenclature, there's a rule of thumb. Point your thumb in the direction of the constituent with the lowest priority (#4). Then, wrap your hand around rotating along the axis of your thumb starting with the constituent with the highest priority (#1) following with #2 and #3. Your wrist should hit #1, your palm should hit #2 and your fingers #3. If you use your right hand it's a R isomer and if you use your left hand it's a S isomer.

[arroyod]

When she said that was easy i freaked alittle, im here for fun but i usally have to watch these videos 2-3 times

[scrtpassword]

This reminds me of a Philips K Dick short story. Physicist were studying extra dimensions, while the machine was on, a janitor walked into it and they thought he died. But it turns out the janitor was unharmed. They decided to keep a close eye on him. When the next day's newspaper came in, the janitor exclaimed that he couldn't read the paper, the letters and printed in mirror image. He also had a notebook on him, all the letters were also mirror-inverted. As far as doctors could tell, he was healthy. Throughout the months he was well fed but losing weight and becoming malnourished. The scientist realized the machine chirally flipped his entire body. Meaning he couldn't process normal food. They also figured it would be too expensive to pass food through the machine to feed one person and they arent sure if the janitor could survive another trip through the machine.

Good read, would recommend.

[Epinardscaramel]

“But is it *too* easy” is exactly what I was thinking 😅

[oitudobem]

I am Brazilian and I need say thanks for this videos because this help me a lot in my school because in my country the school is really bad so I learn more here

[conniesometimes]

Y’all 😭. I really could’ve used this sophomore year 2.5 years ago

[RichardRenes]

Stereochemistry discovered by Jacobus van 't Hoff, for which he recieved the first Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1901

[dailydoseofmedicinee]

All of your videos are inspiring, thanks for this wonderful videos Crash Course 👏

[lunadawn]

Thank you for this! I'm always happy to learn new stuff 😊

[mananchaudhary]

This really helped me a lot in understanding organic chemistry. Thank you for all your efforts

[nafrost]

13:31 I'm assuming that the 2 chiral centers you are referring to are the two carbons who are bonded to chloride.
But I thought that the definition of a chiral center, is a carbon which is bonded to 4 different groups, and those carbons are bonded to 4 groups, but 2 of them are carbons, so they are bonded to 3 different groups in total.
So what is the definition of a chiral center? Is it a carbon that doesn't have a superimposable mirror image?

[mugendicaristusoguta]

thanks a lot Deboki.very helpful and simplified