Sequence rules

Definition

Sequence Rules are a set of guidelines used in organic chemistry to determine the priority of substituents attached to a chiral center, aiding in the specification of its configuration. They are essential for assigning the absolute configuration as either R (rectus) or S (sinister) based on the atomic number and connectivity of the substituents.

Related terms

Chiral Center:

A carbon atom bonded to four different groups, creating non-superimposable mirror images.

Absolute Configuration:

The spatial arrangement of atoms around a chiral center described as R or S, determined by applying sequence rules.

Stereoisomers:

Molecules that have the same molecular formula and sequence of bonded atoms but differ in the three-dimensional orientations of their atoms in space