--- title: "Meso compounds: 2,3-dibromobutane Template | MolDraw" url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-meso-dibromobutane/ description: "Meso compounds: 2,3-dibromobutane template: 2,3-Dibromobutane in Fischer projection and wedge–dash: the (2R,3R)/(2S,3S) enantiomers and the achiral meso…" lang: en publisher: Scidart Academy generated: 2026-10-28 --- [MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereochemistry/) › Meso compounds: 2,3-dibromobutane [Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereochemistry/)Premium # Meso compounds: 2,3-dibromobutane template ![Meso compounds: 2,3-dibromobutane template: 2,3-Dibromobutane in Fischer projection and wedge–dash: the (2R,3R)/(2S,3S) enantiomers and the achiral meso (2R,3S) isomer with its mirror plane.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-meso-dibromobutane.webp) [Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing). 2,3-Dibromobutane in Fischer projection and wedge–dash: the (2R,3R)/(2S,3S) enantiomers and the achiral meso (2R,3S) isomer with its mirror plane. ## What the template shows - Two stereocentres but only three stereoisomers: the (2R,3S) form has a mirror plane - The three stereoisomers - chiral, the enantiomer - mirror plane - achiral: mirror plane between C2 and C3 - A meso compound has stereocentres but is achiral: an internal mirror plane maps one half onto the other, so it is superimposable on its mirror image. - In meso compounds the centres carry opposite labels (2R,3S); (2R,3S) and (2S,3R) are the same compound. - So 2,3-dibromobutane has three stereoisomers, not 2² = 4: one pair of enantiomers and the meso form, a diastereomer of both. - The meso form is optically inactive by itself, unlike a racemate, which is a 1 : 1 mixture of two chiral compounds. - Wedge = toward you, hash = away from you · every part of this figure is editable Drawn with 18 atoms, 24 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw. ## Sources - [Clayden, Greeves & Warren, Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed., OUP 2012, ch. 14](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780199270293) Textbook - [Eliel & Wilen, Stereochemistry of Organic Compounds, Wiley 1994, ch. 3](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780471016700) Textbook - [Moss, Basic terminology of stereochemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1996), Pure Appl. Chem. 1996, 68, 2193](https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199668122193) IUPAC ## How to use this template 1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor. 2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need. 3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page. 4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Meso compounds: 2,3-dibromobutane template free? You can preview the Meso compounds: 2,3-dibromobutane template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates. ### Can I edit the Meso compounds: 2,3-dibromobutane template? Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it. ### Is the chemistry checked? Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page. ### Are the R/S labels in the stereochemistry templates checked? Yes. Every R/S and E/Z descriptor is computed with RDKit from the drawn structure, so the labels match the wedges and dashes. ## More stereochemistry templates [**Assigning R and S**Free · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-rs-assignment/)[**Newman projections: butane**Free · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-newman-butane/)[**Cyclohexane chair and ring flip**Free · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-chair-ring-flip/)[**CIP priority rules**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-cip-rules/)[**E/Z and cis/trans alkenes**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-ez-alkenes/)[**Enantiomers and diastereomers**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-enantiomers-diastereomers/)[**Tartaric acid stereoisomers**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-tartaric-acid/)[**Fischer projections and D/L**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-fischer-dl/) ## Related pages [**Chirality & R/S Configuration Worksheet**Free printable worksheet](https://www.moldraw.com/educational-materials/chirality-rs-worksheet/)[**Structural Isomers & Stereoisomers Worksheet**Free printable worksheet](https://www.moldraw.com/educational-materials/isomers-worksheet/)[**All Stereochemistry templates**17 templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereochemistry/)[**All chemistry templates**370 templates in 29 categories](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) MolDraw Pro Download all 370 templates - Export the 291 premium templates as PNG, SVG or PDF - AI chemistry assistant - Structure scanning from images - Cloud save and teaching slides [See Pro plans](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing) Free templates stay free. 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