Absolute Configuration
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The absolute configuration at a chiral center in a molecule is a time-independent and unambiguous symbolic description of the spatial arrangement of ligands around it.
eg:
The chiral centers in 1 and 2 bear the same ligands: a,b,d, and e. However, 1 and 2 are not superimposable on each other, meaning that the arrangement of ligands around the chiral center in 1 and in 2 is different. 1 and 2 are mirror images of each other, meaning that the arrangement of ligands around the chiral center in 1 is the exact opposite of that in 2. Chiral centers in 1and 2 are said to have opposite absolute configurations.
According to R,S convention, if the absolute configuration at the chiral center in 1 is R, that at the chiral center in 2 is S or vice versa.