Which one has an optical isomer?
butryic acid
t-butanol
2-bromo-2-methylbutane
2-amino-2-methyl-butal-1-ol
I know it's not t-butanol or 2-bromo-2-methylbutane.
Is it 2-amino-2-methyl-butal-1-ol?
Correction to above:
2-amino-2-methyl-butan-1-ol (Butan is with an "n" not "l"
IF this is the same as 2-amino-2-methyl-1-butanol, yes that would be optically active.
To determine which compound has an optical isomer, we need to consider the presence of chiral centers. Chiral centers are carbon atoms that are attached to four different groups. Compounds with chiral centers can exist in two non-superimposable mirror-image forms, also known as enantiomers, which are optically active.
Now, let's examine the given compounds:
1. Butyric acid: This compound does not have a chiral center, as it consists of a straight carbon chain with a carboxyl group (-COOH) at one end. Therefore, it does not have an optical isomer.
2. t-Butanol: Although this compound has a chiral center (the carbon atom bonded to the -OH group), it also possesses a plane of symmetry due to the presence of three methyl (-CH3) groups. As a result, t-butanol does not have an optical isomer.
3. 2-bromo-2-methylbutane: This compound does not have any chiral centers, as all the carbon atoms are bonded to identical groups (methyl (-CH3) and bromine (-Br)). Thus, it does not have an optical isomer.
4. 2-amino-2-methyl-1-butanol (corrected): This compound contains a chiral center, as the carbon atom bonded to the -OH group is attached to four different groups: a hydrogen atom (-H), an amino group (-NH2), a methyl group (-CH3), and a hydroxyl group (-OH). Hence, 2-amino-2-methyl-1-butanol has an optical isomer.
In summary, out of the given compounds, 2-amino-2-methyl-1-butanol is the one that has an optical isomer.