Following are the structural formulas and names of four bicycloalkanes. Write the molecular formula of each compound. Which of these compounds are constitutional isomers?
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Textbook Solutions for Organic Chemistry
Question
There are four cis,trans isomers of 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol:
(a) Using a planar hexagon representation for the cyclohexane ring, draw structural formulas for the four cis,trans isomers.
(b) Draw the more stable chair conformation for each of your answers in part (a).
(c) Of the four cis,trans isomers, which is the most stable? (Hint: If you answered this part correctly, you picked the isomer found in nature and given the name menthol.)
Solution
Step 1 of 3
Constitutional isomers vary from stereoisomers. Not only do they have the same molecular formula, but they have the same connectivity. The orientation of that connectivity, however, is different. It can be cis, which means the two substitutents are on the same side, or trans, which means they are on opposite sides.
A chair conformation is a way of showing a cyclohexane ring and its substituents. All bond angles are \(109.5^{\circ}\) and staggered to its adjacent carbon. It has equatorial and axial bonds.
Equatorial bonds are perpendicular to the axis of the ring, while axial bonds are parallel to the axis of the ring.
In the figure below, axial is a and equatorial are e.
To draw an alternate chair conformation. One must first convert to the boat conformation then back to an alternate form of the chair conformation.
The substituents must remain on the same carbon while changing conformations, so whatever was axial in the first chair becomes equatorial in the other version of the chair, and whatever was axial in the first chair becomes equatorial in the other version of the chair.
(a)
Let’s give the numbering into the given compound.
The four cis -trans isomers of the compound by changeing their orientation in space is as follows.
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