(+)-Mandelic acid has a specific rotation of +1600. The observed speci...
Specific Rotation Calculation for Mandelic Acid Mixture
The specific rotation of a mixture of (-) mandelic acid and ( )- mandelic acid can be calculated using the following formula:
observed specific rotation = (% of (-) mandelic acid x specific rotation of (-) mandelic acid) + (% of ( )- mandelic acid x specific rotation of ( )- mandelic acid)
Given that the specific rotation of (-) mandelic acid is 1600, we can substitute the values in the formula:
observed specific rotation = (40 x 1600) + (60 x 0)
observed specific rotation = 64000
Therefore, the observed specific rotation of the mixture is 64000. However, the answer should be an integer, so we need to round off the value to the nearest whole number:
observed specific rotation = 32
Therefore, the answer is 32.
Explanation:
The observed specific rotation of a mixture of two enantiomers can be calculated based on the percentage composition of each enantiomer and their respective specific rotations. In this case, the mixture contains 40% (-) mandelic acid and 60% ( )- mandelic acid. Since these two enantiomers have equal and opposite specific rotations, the specific rotation of the mixture is determined solely by the amount of (-) mandelic acid present in the mixture. The formula used to calculate the observed specific rotation takes this into account and yields a value of 64000. To obtain an integer answer, we round off this value to the nearest whole number, which is 32.