Molecular shape, form, and symmetry play a central role in organic chemistry, and this text presents a brief introduction to the conceptual basis of stereochemistry. Its focus lies in the fundamentals of structural stereochemistry, rather than the dynamic aspects that are more relevant to reaction mechanisms. The three-part treatment deals with structure and symmetry, stereoisomerism, and the separation and configuration of stereoisomers.
The first section reviews molecular architecture, relating empirical bonding geometries to the hybridization of the central carbon atom. Students...