CHM 25500 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Structural Isomer, Isobutane, Chemical Formula
14 Jul 2015
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Chm 255 - lecture 8 - branched alkanes and cycloalkanes. Molecules with the same molecular formula but with different arrangements of atoms are called constitutional isomers. Not all molecular formulas can have constitutional isomers. Methane, ethane and propane do not have constitutional isomers. Butane, however, does have a constitutional isomer. Isobutane, or 2-methylpropane, is an example of a branched alkane. Branches on a molecule can come from any carbon that is not on the end: constitutional isomers. The more carbons in a molecule, the more constitutional isomers it can have. Branched alkanes are made up of parent chains and the branches that come off of them, called substituents or alkyl groups. The parent chain is the longest continuous chain of carbons in the compound, and is named for the number of carbons it has. Substituents have both a name and a number. The name of substituents comes from the alkane they would be if not attached as a branch.
