The molecular configuration of a
molecule
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and b ...
is the ''permanent'' geometry that results from the
spatial arrangement of its
bonds. The ability of the same set of atoms to form two or more molecules with different configurations is
stereoisomerism
In stereochemistry, stereoisomerism, or spatial isomerism, is a form of isomerism in which molecules have the same molecular formula and sequence of bonded atoms (constitution), but differ in the three-dimensional orientations of their atoms in ...
. Used as drugs, compounds with different configuration normally have ''different'' physiological activity, including the desired pharmacological effect, the toxicology and the metabolism.
[Everhardus Ariëns: ''Stereochemistry, the basis for sophisticated nonsense in pharmacokinetics and clinical pharmacology'', European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 26 (1984) 663-668, .]
Configuration is distinct from
chemical conformation
In chemistry, conformational isomerism is a form of stereoisomerism in which the isomers can be interconverted just by rotations about formally single bonds (refer to figure on single bond rotation). While any two arrangements of atoms in a mol ...
, a shape attainable by bond
rotation
Rotation, or spin, is the circular movement of an object around a '' central axis''. A two-dimensional rotating object has only one possible central axis and can rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. A three-dimensional ...
s.
See also
*
Absolute configuration
Absolute configuration refers to the spatial arrangement of atoms within a chiral molecular entity (or group) and its resultant stereochemical description. Absolute configuration is typically relevant in organic molecules, where carbon is bonde ...
References
External links
The IUPAC definition of "configuration"
Molecules
Stereochemistry
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ja:立体配置