What is a stereocenter, stereoisomer, and enatiomer?

[Chem_Mod]

Question: What is a stereocenter, stereoisomer, and an enantiomer? Can you please clarify what each one is, and how do they relate to each other?

[Chem_Mod]

Answer: A stereocenter refers to an asymmetric atom within a molecule, also known as a chiral center. A C atom with 4 different attachments is asymmetric. A molecule is chiral if its mirror image is non-superimposable. A pair of enantiomers are the mirror images of a chiral molecule. The definition of a stereoisomer is more broad and can apply to alkenes as well as stereocenters. A stereoisomer is an isomer that differs in the way its atoms are arranged in space. It include both E,Z isomers and R,S isomers.