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Chapter 24: Problem 58

Is 2-butanol chiral?

Short Answer

Expert verified
2-butanol is not chiral because its second carbon atom has only three distinct substituents (OH group, two H atoms, and a CH3 group) instead of the required four different substituents for a carbon atom to be considered chiral.

Step by step solution

01

Draw the structure of 2-butanol

First, draw the structure of 2-butanol. 2-butanol, also known as sec-butanol, has the molecular formula C4H10O and its IUPAC name is butan-2-ol. The structure is as follows: ``` H H O | | | H – C – C – C – H | | | H H H ```
02

Identify the chiral carbon

Look for a carbon atom that has four different substituents attached to it. In the structure of 2-butanol, we can see that the second carbon (from the left) has an OH group, two H atoms, and a CH3 (methyl) group attached to it. Therefore, this carbon atom has three distinct substituents since two of them are hydrogen atoms.
03

Determine whether the molecule is chiral or achiral

As the carbon atom we identified in step 2 (C2) does not have four different substituents, it is not a chiral carbon. As a result, the entire molecule is achiral. So, 2-butanol is not chiral.

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