Cahn-Ingold Prelog Rules

Question

Hi! In prioritizing the atoms in a chirality center, would C be prioritized first or CH3?

Answer 1

Hello,

It depends on what the C is attached to. In both cases, if C and the methyl group are attached to the chiral center the first point of contact to the chiral center is the carbon. That would be a tie and then you'd have to look further down the chain to find a point of difference between the 2 carbons in order to break the tie.

Hope this helps.