Isomerism

Question 1

Describe a chain isomer.

Answer 1

The carbon skeleton can be arranged differently - for example as a straight chain, or branched in different ways. These isomers have similar chemical properties but their physical properties like boiling point will be different because of the change in shape of the molecule.

Question 2

Describe a positional isomer.

Answer 2

The skeleton and the functional group could be the same, only with the group attached to a different carbon atom. These also have different physical properties and the chemical properties might be different too.

Question 3

Describe functional group isomers.

Answer 3

The same atoms can be arranged into different functional groups. These have very different physical and chemical properties.

Question 4

What are stereoisomers?

Answer 4

They have the same structural formulas but are arranged differently in spac. E.g. E-Z isomers

Question 5

What are the three types of structural isomer?

Answer 5

Chain isomers, positional isomers and functional group isomers