Optical Isomerism: Optical isomers are mirror-images to each other and have an asymmetric or chiral carbon atom in their molecules. They can rotate the plane of plane-polarized light in the opposite direction. Optical isomers were given their name because they were first able to be distinguished by how they rotated plane-polarized light.
Conditions of Optical Isomerism:
(i) The compound must be optically active.
(ii) There must exist a chiral carbon atom in the organic morn to make it asymmetrical and thus show the optical activity.
(iii) Optically active compounds rotate the plane of plane-polarized light into opposite directions.
(iv) This results in two different configurations, example; it produces two optical isomers.
(v) The configurations are mirror images of one another.
