Stereoisomerism
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
This 1930s encyclopedia article defines stereoisomerism as isomerism caused by the different spatial arrangement of atoms or atomic groups. It distinguishes between optical isomerism, driven by asymmetric carbon atoms creating mirror-image isomers, and geometric isomerism, arising from group arrangements relative to a double bond or ring plane.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
STEREOISOMERISM, STEREOISOMERS. Stereoisomerism is isomerism caused by the different arrangement of atoms or atomic groups in space. We distinguish: 1) Optical isomerism, or mirror isomerism, caused by the presence of an asymmetric carbon atom in the molecule, which leads to the formation of stereoisomers—two spatial isomers, one of which is, as it were, a mirror image of the second (for illustration, see Asymmetric carbon). With an increase in the number of asymmetric carbon atoms in the molecule, the number of possible stereoisomers also grows—the number of the latter is equal to 2n, where n is the number of asymmetric atoms. 2) Geometric isomerism, caused by the different arrangement of groups relative to the plane formed either by a double bond or a ring (see Stereochemistry).
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“Stereoisomerism.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.com/article/stereoisomerism/