Which of the following organic molecules possesses optical isomers due to the presence of a chiral carbon atom bonded to four different substituent groups?

💡 Solution & Explanation

In 2-bromobutane, the second carbon atom is bonded to a hydrogen atom, a bromine atom, a methyl group, and an ethyl group, making it asymmetric or chiral, which gives rise to optical activity and stereoisomerism. Molecules lacking chiral centers are superimposable on their mirror images. Louis Pasteur pioneered the study of optical isomerism in tartaric acid crystals.