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Chapter 11: Problem 4

What are structural isomers?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Structural Isomers, also known as constitutional isomers, are compounds with the same molecular formula but different physical structures. This simply implies that they have the same number of each atom, but the atoms are arranged differently. They have different physical properties due to different atomic arrangements, but share the same molecular weight. This differentiates them from stereoisomers, which have the same atomic connections but differ in their 3D orientation in space.

Step by step solution

01

Define structural isomers

Structural isomers, also known as constitutional isomers, are compounds that have the same molecular formula but different physical structures. This simply means they have the same number of atoms of each element, but these atoms are organized in a different way.
02

Explain the characteristics of structural isomers

The characteristics of structural isomers reflect their unique physical structure. Since structural isomers have different arrangements of atoms, they can have differing physical properties, like boiling points, melting points, and chemical reactivity. Yet, they share the same molecular weight due to having same number of atoms of each element in the molecular formula.
03

Differentiate Structural Isomers from other isomers

Isomers are molecules with the same molecular formula, but something called stereoisomers have the same atomic connections but differ in 3D orientation in space. Structural isomers, on the other hand, are different because they are connected in different ways, hence the name 'structural'.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Sulfuric acid \(\left(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{SO}_{4}\right)\) adds to the double bond of alkenes as \(\mathrm{H}^{+}\) and \(-\mathrm{OSO}_{3} \mathrm{H}\). Predict the products when sulfuric acid reacts with (a) ethylene and (b) propene.

How many liters of air \(\left(78\right.\) percent \(\mathrm{N}_{2}, 22\) percent \(\mathrm{O}_{2}\) by volume) at \(20^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) and \(1.00 \mathrm{~atm}\) are needed for the complete combustion of \(1.0 \mathrm{~L}\) of octane, \(\mathrm{C}_{8} \mathrm{H}_{18}\) a typical gasoline component that has a density of \(0.70 \mathrm{~g} / \mathrm{mL} ?\)

Draw structures for these compounds: (a) cyclopentane, \((\) b) \(c i s-2\) -butene, \((\) c) 2 -hexanol, (d) 1,4 -dibromobenzene, (e) 2 -butyne.

Fats and oils are names for the same class of compounds, called triglycerides, which contain three ester groups in which \(\mathrm{R}, \mathrm{R}^{\prime},\) and \(\mathrm{R}^{\prime \prime}\) represent long hydrocarbon chains. (a) Suggest a reaction that leads to the formation of a triglyceride molecule, starting with glycerol and carboxylic acids (see p. 398 for structure of glycerol). (b) In the old days, soaps were made by hydrolyzing animal fat with lye (a sodium hydroxide solution). Write an equation for this reaction. (c) The difference between fats and oils is that at room temperature, the former are solid and the latter are liquids. Fats are usually produced by animals, whereas oils are commonly found in plants. The melting points of these substances are determined by the number of \(\mathrm{C}=\mathrm{C}\) bonds (or the extent of unsaturation) present- -the larger the number of \(\mathrm{C}=\mathrm{C}\) bonds, the lower the melting point and the more likely the substance is a liquid. Explain. (d) One way to convert liquid oil to solid fat is to hydrogenate the oil, a process by which some or all of the \(\mathrm{C}=\mathrm{C}\) bonds are converted to \(\mathrm{C}-\mathrm{C}\) bonds. This procedure prolongs shelf life of the oil by removing the more reactive \(\mathrm{C}=\mathrm{C}\) group and facilitates packaging. How would you carry out such a process (that is, what reagents and catalyst would you employ)? (e) The degree of unsaturation of oil can be determined by reacting the oil with iodine, which reacts with the \(\mathrm{C}=\mathrm{C}\) as follows: The procedure is to add a known amount of iodine to the oil and allow the reaction to go to completion. The amount of excess (unreacted) iodine is determined by titrating the remaining iodine with a standard sodium thiosulfate \(\left(\mathrm{Na}_{2} \mathrm{~S}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\right)\) solution: $$\mathrm{I}_{2}+2 \mathrm{Na}_{2} \mathrm{~S}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3} \longrightarrow \mathrm{Na}_{2} \mathrm{~S}_{4} \mathrm{O}_{6}+2 \mathrm{NaI}$$ The number of grams of iodine that reacts with \(100 \mathrm{~g}\) of oil is called the iodine number. In one case, \(43.8 \mathrm{~g}\) of \(\mathrm{I}_{2}\) were treated with \(35.3 \mathrm{~g}\) of corn oil. The excess iodine required \(20.6 \mathrm{~mL}\) of \(0.142 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{Na}_{2} \mathrm{~S}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) for neutralization. Calculate the iodine number of the corn oil.

Draw the structures of \(c i s-2\) -butene and trans-2butene. Which of the two compounds would give off more heat on hydrogenation to butane? Explain.
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