What is "stereocenter"

n. (alternative spelling of stereocentre English)

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A stereocenter or stereogenic center is any point in a molecule, though not necessarily an atom, bearing groups, such that an interchanging of any two groups leads to a stereoisomer. The term stereocenter was introduced in 1984 by Mislow and Siegel. A chiral center is a stereocenter consisting of an atom holding a set of ligands (atoms or groups of atoms) in a spatial arrangement which is not superimposable on its mirror image. The concept of a chiral center generalizes the concept of an asymmetric carbon atom, i.e., a carbon atom bonded to four different entities, such that an interchanging of any two groups gives rise to an enantiomer. In organic chemistry, a chiral center usually refers to a carbon, phosphorus, or sulfur atom, though it is also possible for other atoms to be chiral centers, especially in areas of organometallic and inorganic chemistry.