Is 3 -chloro-3-methylhexane chiral?

Short Answer

Expert verified
3-chloro-3-methylhexane is not chiral because it lacks a chiral center with four unique groups attached. The carbon atom in question (C3) has three different groups attached to it (hydrogen, chlorine, and methyl) but the fourth group is not unique, as it is part of the hexane chain.

Step by step solution

01

Determine the structure of the molecule

First, we'll draw the structure of 3-chloro-3-methylhexane. The name tells us that we have a six-carbon chain (hexane) with a chlorine atom and a methyl group attached at the third carbon. The structure will look like this: CH3 | CH3-CH2-C-CH2-CH2-CH3 | Cl
02

Identify the chiral center

Now that we have the structure, we need to find out if there's any carbon atom with four different groups attached to it. As we can see, the carbon atom in question (C3, to which the chlorine and the methyl group are attached) has three different groups attached to it (one hydrogen, one chlorine, and one methyl group). However, there is a fourth carbon group attached to C3, which is not unique (it is part of the hexane chain).
03

Determine chirality

Since the carbon atom in question (C3) does not have four different groups attached to it, it is not a chiral center. Therefore, 3-chloro-3-methylhexane is not a chiral molecule. In conclusion, 3-chloro-3-methylhexane is not chiral as it lacks a chiral center with four unique groups attached.

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