Question

Identify the chiral molecules from the following.

• A. I, II only
• B. I, IV, V only
• C. II, III, IV only
• D. I, V only

Hint:

A molecule is chiral if it cannot be superimposed on its mirror image.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Recall what makes a molecule chiral.
A molecule is chiral if it cannot be superimposed on its mirror image. The simplest sign is a carbon bonded to four different groups, called a stereocentre.

Step 2: Set the checking rule.
For each structure, look for at least one carbon that carries four different attachments. If such a carbon exists and the molecule has no internal symmetry that cancels it, the molecule is chiral.

Step 3: Examine the structures one by one.
Going through the given structures I to V, we test each carbon to see whether all four groups around it differ.

Step 4: Mark the chiral ones.
Structures I, IV and V each have a carbon with four different groups, so they are chiral.

Step 5: Reject the others.
The remaining structures either lack a four different group carbon or have a symmetry that makes them achiral, so they are not chiral.

Step 6: State the answer.
The chiral molecules are I, IV and V.
\[ \boxed{\text{I, IV, V only}} \]