is a stereocenter the same as a chiral center
Stereocenter In a molecule, a stereocenter is a particular instance of a stereogenic element that is geometrically a point. A stereocenter or stereogenic center is any point in a molecule, though not necessarily an atom, bearing groups, such that an interchanging of any two groups leads to a stereoisomer.[1] The term stereocenter was introduced in 1984 by Kurt Mislow and Jay Siegel.[2] A chiral center is a stereocenter consisting of an atom holding a set of ligands (atoms or groups of atoms) in a spatial arrangement which is not superimposable on its mirror image. The concept of a chiral center generalizes the concept of an asymmetric carbon atom (a carbon atom bonded to four different entities) such that an interchanging of any two groups gives rise to an enantiomer.[3] In organic chemistry, a chiral center usually refers to a carbon, phosphorus, or sulfur atom, though it is also possible for other atoms to be chiral centers, especially in areas of organometallic and inorganic chemistry.