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How many constitutional isomers are possible for pentane with the formula C5H12?
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isomerism
Tetrahedral geometry of methane: (A) stick-and-ball model and (B) diagram showing bond angles and distances. (Plain bonds represent bonds in the plane of the image; wedge and dashed bonds represent those directed toward and away from the viewer, respectively.)
There are 3 possible constitutional isomers for pentane, which has the molecular formula .12
Constitutional isomers are molecules that share the same molecular formula but differ in the connectivity of their atoms. As the number of carbon atoms in an alkane chain increases, the number of possible constitutional isomers grows significantly. While smaller alkanes like methane, ethane, and propane have no constitutional isomers, the complexity increases with larger molecules.123