What Is Stereognosis?

Also known as stereoselective response. Regardless of the stereochemistry of the reactants, the reaction results in a product with only one stereoisomer (or two stereoisomers, but one of which is predominant). Most of the enzyme-catalyzed reactions in living organisms are stereoselective. ^[1]

In chemistry, stereospecificity is a property of the reaction mechanism that results in different stereoisomeric products from different stereoisomeric reactants, or only one isomer.

in contrast,

Stereotactic reaction refers to a specified stereoisomeric reactant, and only a corresponding stereoisomeric product is obtained in the reaction. In other words, different stereoisomers produce different stereoisomers. Stereotactic reactions are necessarily stereoselective reactions, but stereoselective reactions are not necessarily stereotactic reactions.

In asymmetric synthesis, when an organic reaction may produce several stereoisomers, and one or a pair of enantiomeric stereoisomers is preferentially obtained, this reaction is called a stereoselective reaction. ^[1]