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JEE Main levelOne or more correct optionsDifficulty 2 of 3st281

Which of the structures shown are meso compounds (achiral in spite of having stereocentres)?

  1. AStructure (A)
  2. BStructure (B)
  3. CStructure (C)
  4. DStructure (D)

Answer: A, B

(A) is (2R,4S)-2,4-dibromopentane: C2 and C4 have opposite configurations and a mirror plane passes through C3, so it is meso. (B) is cis-1,2-dibromocyclohexane, (1R,2S): a mirror plane bisects the C1-C2 bond, so it is meso. (C) is (2R,3R)-2,3-dichlorobutane, which is chiral. (D) is 2,3-dibromopentane, whose two stereocentres carry different groups ( versus ), so no meso form is possible and it is chiral.
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