Question

Draw the structure(s) of all alkane(s) that have 6 or fewer carbons, 4 of which are secondary .

a) You do not have to consider stereochemistry .
b) If more than one structure fits the description, draw them all.
c) Draw one structure per sketcher. Add additional sketchers using the drop-down menu in the bottom right corner .
d) Separate structures with + signs from the drop-down menu. Visited ChemDoodle

Answer 1

To draw the structures of all alkanes with 6 or fewer carbons and 4 secondary carbons, you can start by considering the four smallest alkanes: methane, ethane, propane, and butane. Then, substitute one of the primary carbons with a secondary carbon in each structure.

Step-by-step explanation:

Structure of Alkanes

Alkanes are hydrocarbons that contain only single bonds between carbon atoms. To draw the structures of all alkanes with 6 or fewer carbons and 4 secondary carbons, we can start by considering the four smallest alkanes:

- Methane (CH4)

- Ethane (C2H6)

- Propane (C3H8)

- Butane (C4H10)

All of these alkanes have carbon atoms that are primary (connected to one other carbon), except for butane, which has one secondary carbon atom. To create alkanes with 4 secondary carbons, we start with butane and substitute one of the primary carbons with a secondary carbon in each structure:

- 2-methylbutane: CH3CH(CH3)CH2CH3

- 2,2-dimethylpropane: (CH3)2C(CH3)2

- 2,3-dimethylbutane: CH3CH(CH3)CH(CH3)CH3

- 2,2,3-trimethylbutane: (CH3)3CCH(CH3)2