Stereospecificity

In chemistry, stereospecificity is the property of a chemical reaction that yields different stereoisomeric reaction products from two stereoisomeric reactants depending on the reaction conditions.

Additional recommended knowledge

Essential Laboratory Skills Guide

What is the Correct Way to Check Repeatability in Balances?

Daily Sensitivity Test

For example, the addition of dibromocarbene to cis-2-butene yields cis-2,3-dimethyl-1,1-dibromocyclopropane whereas addition of dibromocarbene to the trans isomer exclusively yields the trans cyclopropane.

Chiral synthesis is built on stereospecific reactions where also the optical activity of a chemical compound is preserved.

Another example is disrotatory ring closing reaction trans-cis-trans-2,4,6-octatriene to cis-dimethylcyclohexadiene.

See also

• Stereoselectivity
• Dynamic stereochemistry

References

• Skell, P.S. and Garner, A.Y. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 78, 3409 (1956)