Stereospecific and Stereoselective Syntheses
Any reaction in which only one of a set of stereoisomers is formed exclusively or predominantly is called a stereoselective synthesis. The same term is used when a mixture of two or more stereoisomers is exclusively or predominantly formed at the expense of other stereoisomers. In a stereospecific reaction, a given isomer leads
to one product while another stereoisomer leads to the opposite product. All stereospecificreactions are necessarily stereoselective, but the converse is not true. These terms are best illustrated by examples. Thus, if maleic acid treated with bromine gives the dl pair of 2,3-dibromosuccinic acid while fumaric acid gives the meso isomer (this is the case), the reaction is stereospecific as well as stereoselective because two opposite isomers give two opposite isomers: