Preparing Single Enantiomers and the Mechanism of Optical Rotation

Explore the intricacies of preparing single enantiomers and the mechanism of optical rotation in this 50-minute lecture from Yale University's Freshman Organic Chemistry course. Delve into the challenges of isolating enantiomers despite optical activity, and gain insights from a guest lecture by Professor Laurence Barron of the University of Glasgow. Learn about Lord Kelvin's contributions to chirality, natural and magnetic optical rotation, and the role of the carbonyl chromophore in understanding optical activity. Discover the significance of chiral switches in life and drugs, and how chiral molecules rotate polarized light through complex wave function interactions. Examine the practical difficulties in predicting net optical rotation due to the subtle nature of electron shifts along helical paths. This comprehensive lecture provides a deep dive into the fundamental concepts of chirality and its applications in organic chemistry and pharmaceutical development.