Final answer:
To draw the line structural diagram for 4-ethyl-3,3-dimethylhexane, one must draw the hexane backbone, add an ethyl group on the fourth carbon, and two methyl groups on the third carbon. The structural diagram uses lines to represent carbon chains and branches, with substituents attached at the indicated carbon numbers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks to illustrate the line structural diagram for 4-ethyl-3,3-dimethylhexane. When drawing organic molecules, it is essential to understand how carbon chains are depicted and how branches or substituents are represented. Hexane is a six-carbon alkane, and the prefix '4-ethyl' and '3,3-dimethyl' indicates which carbon atoms the substituents are attached to.
A step-by-step approach would begin with drawing the main carbon chain of hexane. Then, on the fourth carbon, an ethyl group (a two-carbon chain) is attached. The third carbon will have two methyl groups (single carbon atoms) attached to it, indicated by '3,3-' which shows that both methyl groups are on the same carbon.
The line structural diagram, also known as a skeletal formula, will appear as a straight line with six points representing the six carbons of hexane. Branches are drawn as shorter lines stemming from the main line. Thus, at the third point from either end, two lines representing the two methyl groups are drawn, and at the fourth point, a two-carbon line (ethyl group) is attached.