ABSTRACT
Stereogenic molecules are produced by plants and bacteria, and these substances have a variety of properties, including defensive or attractive substances. Differences in stereochemistry in stereogenic molecules are also responsible for the chemicals that trigger odor responses in humans when released into the air from plants or animals. A convenient notation for molecules containing a stereogenic center involves crossed lines. The Cahn–Ingold–Prelog selection rules will be introduced in order to determine the absolute configuration of a stereogenic center. The optical properties of stereogenic molecules will also be discussed, including the highly important physical property, specific rotation. The “steering wheel” model essentially sights down the base of a tetrahedral array of atoms that “surrounds” the stereogenic carbon. When a mirror is held up to a molecule possessing a stereogenic center, its mirror image is observed.
