Which of the following compound can exhibit enantiomerism ?

Options

A. 3- hydroxy propanoic
B. 3-hydroxy butanoic acid
C. 4- hydroxy butanoic acid
D. none of these

Answer

To determine which compound can exhibit enantiomerism, we need to analyze the structure of the given compound, which is 3-hydroxypropanoic acid. Here’s a step-by-step solution:

### Step 1: Understand Enantiomerism
Enantiomerism occurs when a compound can exist in two mirror-image forms, known as enantiomers. For a compound to exhibit enantiomerism, it must have a chiral center, which is typically a carbon atom bonded to four different substituents.

### Step 2: Identify the Structure of 3-Hydroxypropanoic Acid
3-Hydroxypropanoic acid has the following structure:
- It is a three-carbon chain (propanoic acid) with a hydroxyl (-OH) group attached to the third carbon.

### Step 3: Determine the Chiral Centers
To check for chirality, we need to look for any carbon atoms that are bonded to four different groups:
- The structure of 3-hydroxypropanoic acid can be represented as:

```
CH3-CH(OH)-COOH
```

- The second carbon (C2) in this structure is bonded to:
1. A hydroxyl group (-OH)
2. A hydrogen atom (H)
3. A carboxylic acid group (-COOH)
4. A methyl group (-CH3)

Since C2 is bonded to four different groups, it is a chiral center.

### Step 4: Conclusion
Since 3-hydroxypropanoic acid has a chiral center, it can exhibit enantiomerism. Therefore, the answer to the question is that 3-hydroxypropanoic acid can exhibit enantiomerism.

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