Stereocenter

In <a href="/facts/Stereochemistry/XkcRVNwd">stereochemistry</a>, a stereocenter of a <a href="/facts/Molecule/N9ljSfFq">molecule</a> is an <a href="/facts/Atom/FoQ4kGN5">atom</a> (center), axis or plane that is the focus of <a href="/facts/Stereoisomerism/I3kzlDE8">stereoisomerism</a>; that is, when having at least three different groups bound to the stereocenter, interchanging any two different groups creates a new <a href="/facts/Stereoisomer/I3kzlDE8">stereoisomer</a>. Stereocenters are also referred to as stereogenic centers. 
A stereocenter is geometrically defined as a point (location) in a molecule; a stereocenter is usually but not always a specific atom, often carbon. Stereocenters can exist on <a href="/facts/Chirality_(chemistry)/p5a9pftB">chiral</a> or <a href="/facts/Achiral/hjx0eGrB">achiral</a> molecules; stereocenters can contain single bonds or double bonds. The number of hypothetical stereoisomers can be predicted by using 2n, with n being the number of <a href="/facts/Tetrahedral_molecular_geometry/583AL1sP">tetrahedral</a> stereocenters; however, exceptions such as <a href="/facts/Meso_compound/0rwxSmgj">meso compounds</a> can reduce the prediction to below the expected 2n. 
<a href="/facts/Chirality_(chemistry)/p5a9pftB">Chirality centers</a> are a type of stereocenter with four different substituent groups; chirality centers are a specific subset of stereocenters because they can only have sp3 hybridization, meaning that they can only have <a href="/facts/Sigma_bond/CSyEe5CY">single bonds</a>.

Stereocenter open-in-new

Stereocenter