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Multiple Choice
Which of the following compounds is chiral?
A
B
C
D
Verified step by step guidance
1
Identify the concept of chirality: A molecule is chiral if it has at least one carbon atom bonded to four different groups, making it a stereocenter (chiral center).
Examine the structure of n-butane: It is a straight-chain alkane with no carbon bonded to four different groups, so it is achiral.
Analyze ethanol: The carbon atoms in ethanol are bonded to hydrogens and hydroxyl groups, but none have four distinct substituents, so ethanol is achiral.
Look at 2-propanol: The central carbon is bonded to two identical methyl groups, a hydroxyl group, and a hydrogen, so it does not have four different groups and is achiral.
Consider 2-butanol: The second carbon is bonded to a methyl group, an ethyl group, a hydroxyl group, and a hydrogen, all different groups, making it a chiral center and thus the molecule is chiral.