Key Concepts
- Naming and drawing organic molecules
- Organic nomenclature
- Functional groups
Solution
CH3–CH2–CH2–CH3
It can help us identify a molecule based on its formula to draw it out. (See the image below.)
Now, we can identify any functional groups present in the molecule. As you can see, there are no outstanding features in this molecule. It is comprise of 4 carbons single bonded to each other and also bonded to hydrogen atoms.
This type of organic molecule is called an alkane. They end in the suffix -ane.
The root of the word can be determined based on the number of carbons in the carbon chain: 4 in this case. It would be "but".
Therefore, this compound is called butane.