Meso compounds, by actual definition, are achiral compounds having chiral diastereomers. However, for our convenience, we think of them as achiral compounds with chiral atoms (stereocenters). This definition makes it easy to identify meso compounds without us having to draw all possible chiral diastereomers. Determine how cis-cycloheptene is a meso compound under the actual definition, but not under the definition that we made for our own convenience.
