Which of the following statements about enantiomers is incorrect

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Enantiomers are non-superimposable mirror-image stereoisomers: in an achiral environment they have identical physical properties (melting point, boiling point, density, colour, refractive index) and identical chemical reactivity toward achiral reagents, but they rotate plane-polarized light in equal and opposite directions and can interact differently with chiral environments such as biological receptors.

Step-by-step reasoning:
1. Physical properties: Enantiomers have the same intermolecular forces and molecular formula, so bulk properties like mp, bp and density are identical. Thus statement b is true.
2. Optical and appearance properties: Colour and ordinary refractive index (an achiral bulk optical property) are the same for both enantiomers; only the sign of optical rotation differs (equal magnitude, opposite sign). So statement c is true.
3. Chemical properties: In reactions that do not involve chiral reagents or catalysts (achiral conditions), enantiomers react at the same rate and give the same products; therefore their chemical properties are the same under achiral conditions. Statement d is true in that usual context.
4. Biological properties: Biological systems (enzymes, receptors) are chiral, so enantiomers often do interact differently — many famous examples exist (e.g., drug enantiomers with different efficacy or toxicity). However, the phrase “have different biological properties” stated as an absolute rule is not universally valid: enantiomers do not necessarily differ in every biological context; whether their biological behavior differs depends on the chirality and stereospecificity of the biological target. Because option a asserts a universal difference without qualification, it is an incorrect (overgeneralized) statement.

Why other options are not the incorrect choice: b, c and d correctly summarize the identical properties enantiomers share in achiral environments and bulk physical measurements.

Conclusion: The incorrect statement among the choices is a. have different biological properties (option a), matching the provided answer.

Which of the following statements about enantiomers is incorrect单项选择题

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