The potential of VCD to resolve the epimer vs. inverse epimer quandary

► A pair of stereoisomers that differ at only one stereogenic center are epimers. ► Stereoisomers that differ at all stereogenic centers bar one are inverse epimers. ► Differentiating between a case of epimers or inverse epimers can be challenging. ► This is because the epimer and the inverse epimer of a compound are enantiomers. ► VCD has the potential to readily distinguish between the two cases.