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What is an asymmetric carbon in organic chemistry?

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Vadim Soloshonok, Ph. D. Organic Chemistry & Fluorine Chemistry, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (1987) Answered Mar 4, 2017 ยท Author has 288 answers and 156.8k answer views First of all, carbon atom cannot be asymmetric; what you ask is a stereogenic carbon; such carbon is of sp3 hybridization (tetrahedral) and must have 4 different substituents. read more

An asymmetric carbon is a carbon atom that is bonded to four different groups. The asymmetric carbon in each of the following compounds is indicated by an asterisk. For example, the starred carbon in 4-octanol is an asymmetric carbon because it is bonded to four different groups (H, OH, CH 2 CH 2 CH 3, and CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 3). read more

In organic compounds, optical activity is the result of at least one tetrahedral carbon atom which has four different groups attached to it. Such a carbon is known variously as a stereogenic center, a chiral center or an asymmetric carbon. read more

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