The phenomenon of having (+) and (–) isomers in optical isomerism is termed as optical isomerism, where compounds exhibit different rotations of plane-polarized light, leading to dextrorotatory and laevo-rotatory isomers.
What is the term used to describe the phenomenon of having (+) and (–) isomers in optical isomerism?
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The phenomenon of having (+) and (–) isomers in optical isomerism is known as enantiomerism. Enantiomers are a pair of optical isomers that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. They exhibit identical physical and chemical properties, except for their interaction with plane-polarized light. One enantiomer rotates the plane of polarized light clockwise (dextrorotatory, denoted as +), while its mirror image enantiomer rotates it counterclockwise (laevo-rotatory, denoted as –). Enantiomerism is a crucial aspect of chirality, and enantiomers play a significant role in stereochemistry and pharmaceuticals due to their distinct biological activities.