Racemization

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

  1. The process by which an optically active compound converts into an equal mixture of its enantiomers, resulting in the loss of optical activity; the chemical transformation that causes a chiral molecule to become achiral by forming a racemic mixture; the change in stereochemistry of a molecule producing a 50:50 blend of mirror-image isomers leading to racemate formation
  2. A chemical reaction in which a chiral substance is altered to produce identical amounts of both enantiomeric forms, thus nullifying its original optical rotation; the conversion mechanism converting one stereoisomer into its non-superimposable mirror image in equal proportions; the alteration of stereochemical configuration leading to the generation of a racemic mixture devoid of net chirality
  3. The stereochemical inversion process that transforms a single enantiomer into a racemic mixture comprising equal quantities of left- and right-handed isomers; the transformation that eliminates net optical activity by equilibrating two stereoisomers; a molecular modification whereby chiral centers are converted to produce an equal mix of both optical antipodes

Etymology: Racemization is a chemistry term built from a plant word. "Raceme" is a botanical noun for a flower cluster in which individual blossoms grow along a single stalk, as in lily-of-the-valley, and it came into English from Latin "racemus," meaning a cluster of grapes or berries. The chemical sense comes from tartaric acid, a compound found in grape juice, whose crystals were studied by Louis Pasteur in the 1840s and 1850s. Pasteur's observations of its crystal forms, which resemble bunches of grapes, gave rise to the "racemic" label for the mixed, optically inactive form. The word itself is a straightforward modern coinage. It combines "raceme" with the suffix "-ize," which turns a noun into a verb meaning to make or cause a change, and "-ation," which turns that verb into a noun for the process. Together they describe the act of converting a molecule into a racemic mixture.

Synonyms: racemisation, stereoisomerization