The 30-Day IGCSE
Organic Chemistry Challenge
K CHEMISTRY
Isomers
DAY 9
ISOMERS
NOTES AND LEVEL 1
Mr. Hisham Mahmoud www.k-chemistry.com
,The 30-Day IGCSE Organic Chemistry Challenge
Isom ers Notes and Level 1
JamesKandCHEMISTRY
Khaled were in the middle of a
chemistry challenge over the phone. James had
asked Khaled to draw the organic compound
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butene, just to test his skills. Khaled, confident
in his abilities, sent back a drawing that looked
K a four-carbon
spot on: CHEMISTRY chain with a double
carbon-carbon bond.
H H H H
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Khaled Drawing
H C C C C H of the Butene
K H
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H
But James was perplexed - this wasn't the
drawing he was expecting!
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He showed Khaled the correct drawing of
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butene, which looked completely CHEMISTRY
(see it in the next page)
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Mr. Hisham Mahmoud 01 k-chemistry Website
,The 30-Day IGCSE Organic Chemistry Challenge
Isom ers Notes and Level 1
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H H H H
James Drawing
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of the Butene
H C C C C H
HK H
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The two were stumped and decided to go to
their teacher for help.
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To their surprise, their teacher confirmed that
both drawings were correct! The reason was
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that both compounds have the same
molecular formula - four carbon atoms and
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eight hydrogen atoms - and therefore, they
both get the same name: Butene. But here's the
kicker - because they have different structural
formulas, they are actually two different
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compounds, known as isomers. Who knew
chemistry could be so tricky!
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Mr. Hisham Mahmoud 02 k-chemistry Website
, The 30-Day IGCSE Organic Chemistry Challenge
Isom ers Notes and Level 1
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Isomers are molecules that
have the same molecular
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formula but different
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This can make them tricky to identify, but with a
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little bit of practice, you can become a pro at
spotting isomers. When faced with questions
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about isomers, it's important to carefully
examine the structural formulas and look for
differences in bonding and arrangement of
atoms. By doing so, you can confidently
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determine whether two compounds are isomers
or not. So, don't be intimidated by isomers - with
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a bit of knowledge and practice, you can tackle
any question that comes your way!
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Mr. Hisham Mahmoud 03 k-chemistry Website