Regiospecific

Definition

In organic chemistry, regiospecificity refers to a chemical reaction that produces one predominant structural isomer when there could be several possible outcomes. This selectivity occurs because the reactant's structure directs the formation of the product to a specific region of a molecule.

Related terms

Markovnikov's Rule: A rule in organic chemistry that predicts the regiochemistry of hydrogen addition in electrophilic addition reactions, where hydrogen attaches to the carbon with more hydrogens already attached.

Electrophilic Addition: A type of chemical reaction in which an electron-rich double bond (alkene) reacts with an electron-deficient atom or molecule (electrophile), leading to the addition of atoms across the double bond.

Isomer: Molecules with the same molecular formula but different structures or spatial arrangements, leading to different chemical and physical properties