Question

What is the name of this branched alkane?

Answer 1

Branched chain alkanes

The alkanes don't contain a functional group and so the branches are numbered from the end that gives the lowest set of position numbers for the branches.

Use the above rules to see how the names of the alkanes below are built up.

The structure of 2-methylbutane is a butane molecule (C4H10) but with a methyl group (CH3) replacing a hydrogen on the second carbon atom in the chain. The structure of 3-methylpentane could be drawn as butane with an ethyl group (C2H5) replacing a hydrogen on the second carbon. Note that this is not 2-ethylbutane. The structure of 2,2-dimethylbutane is butane with two methyl groups replacing the two hydrogens on the second carbon.