In the synthesis of the biodegradable polymer PHBV, both monomers exhibit stereoisomerism. How many — Polymers Chemistry Question
Question
In the synthesis of the biodegradable polymer PHBV, both monomers exhibit stereoisomerism. How many chiral carbon atoms are present in a system containing exactly one molecule of unreacted 3-hydroxybutanoic acid and one molecule of unreacted 3-hydroxypentanoic acid?
Answer: 2
💡 Solution & Explanation
3-hydroxybutanoic acid is $CH_3-C^*H(OH)-CH_2-COOH$; the C3 carbon is chiral (1 chiral center). 3-hydroxypentanoic acid is $CH_3-CH_2-C^*H(OH)-CH_2-COOH$; the C3 carbon is also chiral (1 chiral center). Total chiral centers = $1 + 1 = 2$.
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