Isomers are compounds with the same molecular formula but different structures. Structural isomers have different arrangements of atoms, while stereoisomers have the same arrangement of functional groups but differ in their spatial orientation. Isomers can have vastly different chemical properties, making their separation important in various fields. Distillation and chemical reactions are used to isolate specific isomers.
Isomers are chemical compounds that have the same molecular formulas, meaning they are composed of the same number of the same types of atoms, but have different structures or arrangements in space. For example, pentane is an organic compound made up of five carbon atoms and 12 hydrogen atoms. Two isomers of pentane include unbranched pentane, in which the carbons are arranged in a straight chain, and isopentane or methylbutane, in which four carbon atoms are arranged in a straight chain while the fifth one branches off one of the inner carbon atoms. Both have the same molecular formulas, but the actual arrangements of their atoms are different. Isomers are important because compounds with different structures, even if they contain the same atoms, can have drastically different chemical properties.
Compounds with the same molecular formulas can differ structurally in two ways. First, structural isomers differ in the actual structural arrangements of the atoms. The functional groups that make up the compounds are joined together in different ways and with different arrangements. Stereoisomers, on the other hand, are arranged alike in terms of the position of functional groups but differ in their relative positions in space. Two molecules can, for example, have the same atoms and structure, but they can also be non-overlapping mirror images of each other and would therefore be isomers.
Isomers are very important because different compounds, even if they have the same molecular formulas, can have different chemical properties. This is also true for stereoisomers, which are, superficially, nearly identical. A compound may, for example, be a major active ingredient in a drug while its non-overlapping mirror image isomer may be entirely ineffective or even harmful. Compounds with different arrangements often react in drastically different ways with other atoms and compounds. They can differ in the chemicals they react with or how fast they react with the various chemicals.
Many chemical reactions produce a mix of different isomers – this is especially true of stereoisomers – so chemists often have to use various methods to isolate the particular isomer they are interested in. Many different methods based on various chemical properties can be used to separate isomers. Some compounds with identical molecular formulas may, for example, boil at different temperatures, so distillation can be used to separate them. Others react with different compounds, so chemical reactions can be used to remove an isomer while leaving the compound of interest unaffected.
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