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Course: Class 10 Chemistry (India) > Unit 4
Lesson 4: Chains, branches, & ringsStructural Isomers | Carbon and its compounds
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How can we determine whether a compound can have structural isomers? How can we determine the number of structural isomers and how does their nomenclature work out?(7 votes)
-Determining Whether a Compound Can Have Structural Isomers: Structural isomers are compounds that have the same molecular formula but different structural formulas. They differ in how the atoms are connected to each other. A compound can have structural isomers if it has four or more atoms, and the atoms can be rearranged in different ways without changing the molecular formula. For example, butane (C4H10) and isobutane (C4H10) are structural isomers. They both have the same molecular formula, but the atoms are connected differently.
-Determining the Number of Structural Isomers: The number of structural isomers can be determined by drawing all the possible structural formulas that can be made from the molecular formula. This can be a complex process for larger molecules, and often requires knowledge of organic chemistry. There are also online tools and software that can calculate the number of possible isomers for a given molecular formula.
-Nomenclature of Structural Isomers: The nomenclature of structural isomers is based on the rules set by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). The main chain of the molecule is identified and numbered, and the positions of any branches or functional groups are indicated. For example, in the case of butane and isobutane, butane has a straight chain of four carbon atoms, while isobutane has a branch at the second carbon atom. The name reflects these differences: butane is named as such because it has a straight chain, while isobutane is named for its branch (iso- means equal, referring to the three carbon atoms connected to the central carbon atom)(4 votes)
Chemistry was not a architecture(1 vote)
Video transcript
many times in chemistry will see different molecules that have the same constituent atoms for example these two molecules here they both have four carbons one two three four one two three four so if I were to write their chemical formula BC four and then they both have one two three four five six seven eight nine ten one two three four five six seven eight nine ten hydrogen's so both of them both of them have the chemical formula c4h10 c4h10 but they're still fundamentally different molecules and you can see that because they have different bonding for example over here we have a carbon that is bonded to three other carbons in a hydrogen over here I can't find any carbon that's bonded to three other carbons I can find ones that are bonded to two other carbons but not one that's bonded to three other carbons so how we've put the atoms together is actually different they're bonded to different things and so when we have this situation where you have the same constituent atoms where you have the same chemical formula but you're still dealing with different different molecules because of either/or what they're how they're how their bonds are made or how they're what their shape is we call those isomers so an isomer isomer you have the same chemical formula same chemical formula formula but you could have different bonding but different different bonding bonding or shape bonding shape or orientation or orientation so over here you have just different bonding and this type of isomer is called a structural isomer so these characters are structural isomers same constituent atoms but different bonding structural isomers so that's structural isomers right right over there