Question

Photochemical chlorination of pentane gave a mixture of three isomeric monochlorides. Write structural formulas for the major product and one of the two minor products of the monochloride isomers.

Answer 1

The major product of photochemical chlorination of pentane is 2-chloropentane, while a minor product could be 1-chloropentane or 3-chloropentane. The major product is due to chlorination at the most substituted carbon atom, and minor products at less substituted carbon atoms.

Step-by-step explanation:

The photochemical chlorination of pentane can yield three isomeric monochloride products. The major product of this reaction is typically the one that arises from the substitution reaction at the most substituted carbon atom, which, in the case of pentane, would be 2-chloropentane.

As for the minor products, they would be the result of chlorination at less substituted carbon atoms. One of the minor products could be 1-chloropentane due to the chlorination at a primary carbon. Another minor product could be 3-chloropentane, formed by substituting a chlorine atom at another secondary carbon of the pentane molecule.

The structural formulas for 2-chloropentane and 1-chloropentane are as follows:

2-chloropentane: CH3-CHCl-CH2-CH2-CH3

1-chloropentane: CH2Cl-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH3