Question

explain the optical activity of lactic acid
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Answer 1

Explanation:

• When plane polarised light is passed through the compounds there is a change in the rotation of plane of PPL is called optical activity.

• Carbon atom attached to four different groups is called a chiral carbon atom. There is an asymmetric chiral carbon atom present in the lactic acid and gives two spatial configurations.
• They are superimposable mirror images of each other.
• d-lactic acid rotates the PPL towards the right and l-lactic acid rotates the PPL towards the left.

• H-C(COOH)(CH₃) -OH            mirror      HO-C(COOH)(CH₃)-H

                (+) d-lactic acid                                             (-) l-lactic acid