A meso compound is a special type of molecule that possesses chiral centers but overall lacks chirality. This means that even though it has asymmetric carbon atoms, it is optically inactive due to internal symmetry. The internal symmetry cancels out any potential optical activity.
The structure of a meso compound typically consists of two or more chiral centers that are symmetrically arranged in a way that generates an internal plane of symmetry. This internal plane of symmetry divides the molecule into two identical halves, effectively nullifying any chirality. As a result, the molecule is superimposable on its mirror image.
Here's an example to illustrate the structure of a meso compound:
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