Question

Why dextro and laevo - rotatory isomers of butan-2-ol are difficult to separate by fractional distillation?

Answer 1

Explanation:

Can fractional distillation be used to distinguish between: 1) d/l form of a compound 2) geometrical isomers of a compoun (Cis and Trans)

1

Answer 2

Dextro and laevo - rotatory isomers of butan-2-ol are difficult to separate by fractional distillation because they are enantiomers of each other.

• Separation of two substances by fractional distillation method is based on the difference between the boiling points of the two substance(which is a physical property) .
• Enantiomers are substances that have identical physical properties and differ only in chemical properties.
• Since dextro and laevo - rotatory isomers of butan-2-ol are enantiomeric pairs, they cannot be separated by fractional distillation.