Q. Number of optical isomers of lactic acid are

81 148 Organic Chemistry – Some Basic Principles and Techniques Report Error

A

1

13%

B

2

35%

C

3

32%

D

4

19%

Solution:

Only one chiral centre. Hence, two optical isomers are possible.

No. of optical isomer $= 2^{n}$ (where $n =$ no. of chiral carbon) $= 2^{1} = 2$ .