What type of isomerism is exhibited by 1-butanol and 2-butanol?
Practice Questions
Q1
What type of isomerism is exhibited by 1-butanol and 2-butanol?
Geometric isomerism
Structural isomerism
Optical isomerism
Tautomeric isomerism
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What type of isomerism is exhibited by 1-butanol and 2-butanol?
Step 1: Understand what isomerism means. Isomerism is when two or more compounds have the same molecular formula but different structures.
Step 2: Identify the molecular formula of both compounds. Both 1-butanol and 2-butanol have the same molecular formula, C4H10O.
Step 3: Look at the structure of 1-butanol. In 1-butanol, the hydroxyl group (-OH) is attached to the first carbon of the butane chain.
Step 4: Look at the structure of 2-butanol. In 2-butanol, the hydroxyl group (-OH) is attached to the second carbon of the butane chain.
Step 5: Compare the positions of the hydroxyl group in both compounds. Since the position of the -OH group is different in 1-butanol and 2-butanol, they are considered different structures.
Step 6: Conclude that because they have the same molecular formula but different structures due to the different positions of the hydroxyl group, 1-butanol and 2-butanol are structural isomers.