WHY MESO COMPOUNDS ARE OPTICALLY INACTIVE   ??????

Meso means middle, half of the molecule is the mirror image of the other half.

As a result of it, one chiral center will rotate the plane polarized light in one direction and the other chiral center will cancel that rotation by rotating the plane polarized light by the same magnitude, but opposite direction.

Thus the resultant rotation is zero and meso compounds do not rotate the plane polarized light. They are optically inactive. Meso compounds can be recognized by the fact that they have two or more chiral centers and a plane of symmetry.

Thus if a compound has a plane of symmetry it may not be optically active even though it possesses chiral centers..

Ex...

Not copy pasted......

self written..........

coment if u like........

let me knw if I commit any mistake....