Diastereomeerien

Diastereomeerien, a Finnish term, refers to diastereomers in chemistry. Diastereomers are stereoisomers that are not mirror images of each other. This means they are different compounds with the same molecular formula and connectivity, but they differ in their three-dimensional arrangement of atoms, specifically at at least two stereocenters. In contrast, enantiomers are stereoisomers that are non-superimposable mirror images.

The key distinction lies in the relationship between the stereocenters. If a molecule has multiple stereocenters, and two stereoisomers are not enantiomers, they must be diastereomers. This occurs when the configuration at one or more stereocenters is inverted, but not all of them. For example, in a molecule with two stereocenters, if the configuration at the first stereocenter is the same in two isomers but different at the second, they are diastereomers. If the configuration at both stereocenters is inverted, they are enantiomers.

Diastereomers have different physical and chemical properties, unlike enantiomers which often share identical physical properties (except for their interaction with plane-polarized light) and react identically with achiral reagents. Diastereomers, however, can have different melting points, boiling points, solubilities, and reactivities with both chiral and achiral substances. This difference in properties makes the separation of diastereomers generally easier than the separation of enantiomers, often achievable through standard techniques like crystallization or chromatography.

The term "diastereomeerien" would be used in Finnish chemical literature to discuss these specific types of stereoisomers and their properties.