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Classify the pair of compounds as the same compound or enantiomers: CH₃ and H₃C?

1) Same compound
2) Enantiomers

User Jlmakes
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1 Answer

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Final Answer:

1) Same compound; CH₃ and H₃C represent identical chemical entities.

Step-by-step explanation:

The pair of compounds CH₃ and H₃C are the same compound. In organic chemistry, the arrangement of atoms is crucial in determining the identity of a compound. The molecular formula CH₃ represents a methyl group, where the carbon is bonded to three hydrogen atoms. Similarly, H₃C also represents a methyl group, and the arrangement of atoms is identical. The interchangeability of carbon and hydrogen positions doesn't affect the compound's identity. The subscript style in CH₃ and H₃C merely represents the structural flexibility, not a change in the compound itself.

In organic chemistry, isomers are compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural arrangements. Enantiomers, a specific type of isomer, exhibit mirror-image relationships. However, in the case of CH₃ and H₃C, they have the same structural arrangement and are, therefore, the same compound. No stereochemistry or chiral centers are involved, and the substitution of one symbol for the other is a matter of notation convention rather than a change in the compound's identity. Hence, the conclusion is that CH₃ and H₃C are not enantiomers but represent the same chemical entity.

User Earl Mascetti
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