Question

Open the Build a Molecule simulation and select the "Larger Molecules" tab. Select an appropriate atom's "Kit" to build a molecule with two carbon and six hydrogen atoms. Drag atoms into the space above the "Kit" to make a molecule. A name will appear when you have made an actual molecule that exists (even if it is not the one you want). You can use the scissors tool to separate atoms if you would like to change the connections. Click on "3D" to see the molecule, and look at both the space-filling and ball-and-stick possibilities.

a) Ethanol (C₂H₆O)

b) Butane (C₄H₁₀)

c) Methoxyethane (C₃H₈O)

d) Propane (C₃H₈)

Answer 1

Ethane (C₂H₆) is the molecule built with two carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms. With the addition of an oxygen atom, it is possible to create molecules like ethanol (CH₃-CH₂OH) or dimethyl ether (CH₃-O-CH₃).

Step-by-step explanation:

The molecule you have built with two carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms is ethane, whose chemical formula is C₂H₆. Ethane is a saturated hydrocarbon or alkane, which means all the bonds between the carbons and hydrogens are single covalent bonds.

The structural formula for ethane is CH₃-CH₃, where each carbon atom is bonded to three hydrogen atoms and the two carbon atoms are bonded to each other. If we introduce an oxygen atom into the structure, as in Exercise 2.35, we could create different molecules such as dimethyl ether (CH₃-O-CH₃) or ethanol (CH₃-CH₂OH).

Yes, you can arrange these atoms to make a different compound. For instance, adding one oxygen to the aforementioned atoms would allow us to build ethanol, which has a structural formula of CH₃-CH₂OH, where the hydroxyl (-OH) group is attached to one of the carbon atoms.

Another structure you can build with the same atom count is dimethyl ether (C₂H₆O), where the oxygen atom is bonded between the two carbon atoms, each linked to three hydrogens.