What is "stereochemistry"

n. 1 (context chemistry uncountable English) the branch of chemistry that involves the spatial arrangement of the atoms of molecules, and studies how this affects the physical and chemical properties of such species 2 (context chemistry countable English) the effect of such spatial arrangement on the chemistry of a particular compound

Stereochemistry, a subdiscipline of chemistry, involves the study of the relative spatial arrangement of atoms that form the structure of molecules and their manipulation. An important branch of stereochemistry is the study of chiral molecules.

Stereochemistry is also known as 3D chemistry because the prefix "stereo-" means "three-dimensionality".

The study of stereochemistry focuses on stereoisomers and spans the entire spectrum of organic, inorganic, biological, physical and especially supramolecular chemistry. Stereochemistry includes methods for determining and describing these relationships; the effect on the physical or biological properties these relationships impart upon the molecules in question, and the manner in which these relationships influence the reactivity of the molecules in question ( dynamic stereochemistry).