Question

Does 1-bromo-2-chloropropane have optical isomers? How can you tell and if so, what is the chiral carbon atom?
I can draw the structure of this as the first part of the question had me do, but I simply don't know what these terms mean. If someone could at least explain how to find them, I'd be very grateful.

Answer 1

In order for a molecule to be optically active it has to have a chiral center. Examine your drawn molecule for a chiral center (a carbon atom with four different substituents attached, hydrogen counts). If there isn't one then the molecule is considered optically inactive