Question

Is lactic acid an optically inactive compound?

Answer 1

1. Optically inactive: The compound that does not rotate the plane of Plane polarized light is called an optically inactive compound.
2. Optically active: The compound enables to rotate the plane-polarized light is called an optically active compound.
3. Lactic acid: In lactic acid four different groups of asymmetrical carbon atoms are present.
4. Asymmetrical carbon atoms are called chiral carbons.
5. Lactic acid possesses d-lactic acid and l-lactic acid these are mirror images of each other.

Hence, Lactic acid is an optically active compound, not an optically inactive compound.