Question

The structure of Crestor (rosuvastatin), a medication used to reduce cholesterol, is shown below. If the specific rotation for this compound is known to be +100, what would be the specific rotation for the stereoisomer shown at the right?

1) +100
2) -100
3) 0
4) Impossible to predict

Answer 1

The specific rotation for the stereoisomer shown at the right would be +100.

Step-by-step explanation:

The specific rotation is a characteristic physical property of chiral compounds. If one enantiomer is dextrorotatory, the other is levorotatory to the same degree. In the case of Crestor (rosuvastatin), if the specific rotation for the compound is known to be +100, the specific rotation for the stereoisomer shown at the right would also be +100. Therefore, the correct option is 1) +100.