The optical activity of methane

✍ Scribed by P.W. Atkins; J.A.N.F. Gomes

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1976
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 162 KB
• Volume: 39
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2614
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-2614(76)80319-3

✦ Synopsis

We examine whether a methane molecule is optically active by virtue of its rotation. We conclude that methane gas at room temperature can be regarded as an enantiomeric mixture of two components, each of which rotates the plane of C&t by about 1 rad m-r but in opposite directions.