(a) Give the empirical formula and structural formula for a cyclic ether containing four carbon atoms in the ring. (b) Write the structural formula for a straight-chain compound that is a structural isomer of your answer to part (a).

Short Answer

Expert verified
(a) The empirical formula for a cyclic ether containing four carbon atoms in the ring is \(C_4H_8O\). The structural formula is: ``` O / \ C C | | H2 H2 \ / C | H2 | C | H2 ``` (b) A straight-chain compound that is a structural isomer of the cyclic ether is 1-butanol or butan-1-ol, with the structural formula: ``` H H H | | | C-C-C-C | | | O H H H H ```

Step by step solution

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1. Empirical Formula and Structural Formula for a Cyclic Ether with Four Carbon Atoms in the Ring

Cyclic ethers are organic molecules that contain an oxygen atom in a ring consisting of carbon atoms. Since we have four carbon atoms in the ring, the simplest cyclic ether would have a single oxygen atom in the ring with four carbon atoms. To determine the empirical formula, we need to find the ratio of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. There are 4 carbon atoms, each bonded to 2 hydrogen atoms, so there are 8 hydrogen atoms. There is 1 oxygen atom in the ring. So, the empirical formula is: \(C_4H_8O\) Now, let's draw the structural formula for this cyclic ether: ``` O / \ C C | | H2 H2 \ / C | H2 | C | H2 ```
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2. Structural Formula for a Straight-Chain Compound that is a Structural Isomer of the Cyclic Ether

A structural isomer has the same molecular formula but different arrangement of atoms. With an empirical formula of \(C_4H_8O\), let's find a straight-chain compound that can be drawn as a structural isomer: ``` H H H | | | C-C-C-C | | | O H H H H ``` This straight-chain compound is called 1-butanol or butan-1-ol. It is isomer of the cyclic ether from part (a) as both have the same molecular formula \(C_4H_8O\), but feature different structural arrangements of atoms.

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