150 years of stereochemistry—selected examples

The year 1874 is considered to be the birth of stereochemistry when the third dimension in describing and discussing structures in chemistry was first introduced. Stereochemistry and structural chemistry are closely related though they are not each other’s synonyms. Structural chemistry implies greater emphasis on metrical aspects and stereochemistry on shape, symmetry, and chirality. We review some of the nodal points in the early development of stereochemistry.