Atoms or groups of a molecule which are related by an
n-fold rotation axis (
n = 2, 3, etc.) are called homotopic. For example,
chiral tartaric acid
( axis), chloroform
( axis) and cyclohexaamylose (α-cyclodextrin,
axis) have respectively two homotopic carboxyl groups, three homotopic chlorine atoms
and six homotopic
d-glucose residues.
Source:
PAC, 1996, 68, 2193
(Basic terminology of stereochemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1996))
on page 2210