Meso compounds

Definition

Meso compounds are molecules with multiple stereocenters that are superimposable on their mirror images due to an internal plane of symmetry, making them achiral. Despite their complex structures, these compounds do not exhibit optical activity because they have an identical mirror image.

Related terms

Stereocenters:

Points in a molecule at which the swapping of two groups produces a different stereoisomer.

Optical Activity:

The ability of a molecule to rotate the plane of polarized light, indicative of chirality.

Chirality:

A property of a molecule that arises from its structure being non-superimposable on its mirror image, much like left and right hands