Hydrocarbons - Isomers

Question 1

What are Isomers?

Answer 1

Isomers are compounds that have the same molecular formula but different chemical structures.

Question 2

What are the two groups of Isomers?

Answer 2

Structural and Stereoisomers. Structural Isomers have the same connections while Stereoisomers have different connections.

Question 3

What are the two types of Sterioisomers?

Answer 3

• Geometric

- Optical.

Question 4

Geometric Isomerism

Answer 4

• The atoms of two geometric isomers are connected in exactly the same sequence but have different arrangements of atoms about the double bond. This is possible due to the restricted rotation about a double bond.

Question 5

Optic Isomerism

Answer 5

Optical isomers are two compounds which contain the same number and kinds of atoms, and bonds (i.e., the connectivity between atoms is the same), and different spatial arrangements of the atoms, but which have non-superimposable mirror images. Each non-superimposable mirror image structure is called an enantiomer.