Number of optical isomers possible for 2-chlorobutane is:

Find the number of optical isomers of 2-chlorobutane.

The structure of 2-chlorobutane can be represented as $$CH_3-CHCl-CH_2-CH_3$$.

In this molecule, carbon-2 is bonded to four different groups: $$-CH_3$$, $$-Cl$$, $$-H$$, and $$-CH_2CH_3$$, making C-2 a chiral center.

For a molecule with $$n$$ chiral centers and no internal plane of symmetry, the number of optical isomers is $$2^n$$. Here $$n = 1$$, so the number of optical isomers is $$2^1 = 2$$. These two isomers are enantiomers (R-2-chlorobutane and S-2-chlorobutane), which are non-superimposable mirror images of each other.

The answer is 2.