Isomer of Hexane: Understanding Different Structural Arrangements

What are isomers in organic chemistry?

Is hexane able to have isomers?

Which of the following is an isomer of hexane?

a. methylcyclopentane

b. 2-methylhexane

c. 3-ethylpentane

d. 2-methylpentane

Answers:

The isomer of hexane is methylcyclopentane.

In the field of organic chemistry, isomers are compounds with the same molecular formula but different structure or spatial arrangement. This means that isomers have identical numbers of atoms of each element but differ in the way the atoms are connected. Hexane, a hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C6H14, can have several isomers due to the arrangement of its carbon and hydrogen atoms.

From the options provided, the correct answer as the isomer of hexane is methylcyclopentane. A molecule of methylcyclopentane consists of a ring structure with five carbon atoms attached to a methyl (CH3) group. The remaining hydrogen atoms are arranged accordingly to give a total of six carbon atoms and fourteen hydrogen atoms, resulting in the molecular formula C6H14.

On the other hand, 2-methylhexane, 3-ethylpentane, and 2-methylpentane, while having the same molecular formula as hexane (C6H14), cannot be considered isomers of hexane. This is because the longest carbon chain in these compounds is longer than six atoms. These compounds are structural variants of hexane but not true isomers.