Question

What’s the correct IUPAC name for the compound shown here?

Answer 1

Answer : The correct IUPAC name for the compound is, 2,2,4,5-tetramethyl-3-ethylhexane.

Explanation :

The basic rules for naming of hydrocarbons are :

First select the longest possible carbon chain.

The longest possible carbon chain should include the carbons of double or triple bonds.

The naming of alkane is done by adding the suffix -ane, alkene by adding the suffix -ene, alkyne by adding the suffix -yne.

If two or more similar alkyl groups are present in a compound, the prefixes di-, tri-, tetra- and so on are used to specify the number of times of the alkyl groups in the chain.

In the give compound, the longest possible carbon chain has 6 carbon atoms. So, the prefix used will be 'hex-' and also the carbon has single bond between them, so it is an alkane. Four methyl group is present at 2,2,4,5 position of carbon chain and one ethyl group is present at 3 position.

Hence, the correct IUPAC name for the compound is, 2,2,4,5-tetramethyl-3-ethylhexane.