Question

How many secondary (2°) carbons are found in 5-ethyl-3,3,4-trimethylheptane??

Answer 1

5-Ethyl-3,3,4-trimethylheptane has 3 secondary carbon. A primary carbon written as 1° is a carbon that has one carbon atom attached to it. A secondary carbon written as 2° is a carbon attached to two other carbons, while a tertiary carbon written as 3° is a carbon attached to three other carbons. 

Answer 2

Answer:

3 secondary carbons are found in 5-ethyl-3,3,4-trimethylheptane.

Explanation:

5-ethyl-3,3,4-trimethylheptane's structure can be seen in the attached picture, in this structure, each vertex represents one carbon atom.

A secondary carbon is a carbon that is bonded to only 2 other carbon atoms, each secondary carbon is highlighted in blue in the attached picture.