🥼organic chemistry review

Diastereotopic

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025

Definition

In organic chemistry, diastereotopic refers to two hydrogen atoms attached to the same carbon atom that are not chemically equivalent because of their spatial arrangement in a molecule. This inequivalence can affect their chemical reactivity and how they appear in NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectroscopy.