Which of the following pairs of compounds are structural isomers?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following pairs of compounds are structural isomers?
Cis-2-butene and trans-2-butene
1-pentanol and 2-pentanol
Ethyl alcohol and dimethyl ether
Glucose and galactose
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following pairs of compounds are structural isomers?
Step 1: Understand what structural isomers are. Structural isomers are compounds that have the same molecular formula but different arrangements of atoms.
Step 2: Identify the molecular formula of the compounds in question. For ethyl alcohol (ethanol), the molecular formula is C2H6O. For dimethyl ether, the molecular formula is also C2H6O.
Step 3: Compare the structures of the two compounds. Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) has a hydroxyl group (-OH) attached to a carbon chain, while dimethyl ether has an ether group (R-O-R) with two methyl groups.
Step 4: Conclude that since both compounds have the same molecular formula (C2H6O) but different structures, they are structural isomers.
