How many chiral centers does clavulanic acid have?
1 answer:
Answer:
Clavulanic acid has two (2) chiral centers.
Explanation:
A chiral center is a center (usually carbon) with four different substituents.
The structure of clavulanic acid is shown in the attachment below.
Consider the labeled diagram in the attachment,
Carbon A is not a chiral carbon because it has two hydrogen atoms attached to it
Carbon B is not a chiral carbon because it has only three substituents
Carbon C is a chiral carbon because it has four different substituents
Carbon D is a chiral carbon because it has four different substituents
Carbon E is not a chiral carbon because it has only three atoms directly attached to it
Carbon F is not a chiral carbon because it has only three atoms directly attached to it
Carbon G is not a chiral carbon because it has two hydrogen atoms attached to it
Carbon H is not a chiral carbon because it has only three substituents
Then, only carbons C and D are chiral carbons.
Hence, clavulanic acid have two (2) chiral centers.
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