Enantiomer of Amphetamine

Question

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I saw this graphic in Organic Chemistry by Klein (2nd edition too!) and this has to be wrong, correct?

The mirror images should have the double bond on the far side of the ring in both images, right? I am sure, unless my visualization skills have totally failed me.

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Here's the result when I flip the entire image using an online mirror effect creator:

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In short, formulae themselves are not to be mirrored, they are just representation of discussed objects – molecules. — mykhal, Nov 09 '18 at 10:07

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered May 21 '14 at 01:21

The graphic from the book is correct, those two molecules are mirror images. Same for your drawing, those are the same two mirror images as in the book. Remember that the electrons in the aromatic ring are delocalized. The double bonds in the aromatic ring are not fixed. Where you choose to draw the double bonds in aromatic rings is your choice and does not play any role in determining if molecules are enantiomers. Bottom line, the following three structures all represent the same thing.

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Ah, looks like I still lost my wits. Thank you! – Dissenter May 21 '14 at 01:22 — Dissenter, May 21 '14 at 01:22

Enantiomer of Amphetamine

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