Final answer:
Compound X, which produces formaldehyde and 2-methylpropanal upon reaction with ozone and reduction with zinc and water, is likely 2-methyl-2-pentene, based on the carbon chain length and cleavage patterns resulting from ozonolysis and the subsequent reduction step.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the identification of a compound referred to as Compound X, which when reacted with ozone (O3) followed by reduction with zinc and water (Zn/H2O), produces formaldehyde and 2-methylpropanal. Given that ozone is used for ozonolysis, which cleaves alkenes at their double bond, and that formaldehyde and 2-methylpropanal are the products, we can infer that Compound X contains a double bond positioned such that ozonolysis followed by the reduction can yield these two aldehydes.
Since formaldehyde has one carbon and 2-methylpropanal has four carbons, Compound X must have had a five-carbon chain with a doub
le bond between the first and second carbon. This configuration allows for the production of a one-carbon fragment (formaldehyde) and a four-carbon fragment (2-methylpropanal) upon cleavage. Thus, Compound X is likely 2-methyl-2-pentene.