Predict the chemical formula of butyne, having one carbon-carbon triple bond. A. C4H8 B. C4H10 C. C4H6
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is C. C4H6.
Butyne is an alkyne, which means it contains a carbon-carbon triple bond. Alkynes have the general molecular formula CnH2n-2, where n is the number of carbon atoms. In this case, with n = 4 for butyne, the formula would be:C4H2(4)−2=C4H6C_4H_{2(4)}-2 = C_4H_6C4H2(4)−2=C4H6
Butyne specifically refers to a molecule with four carbon atoms and a triple bond between two of those carbon atoms. There are two isomers of butyne: 1-butyne and 2-butyne, which differ in the position of the triple bond.
For comparison:
- C4H8 would correspond to an alkene (with a double bond) or an alkane (saturated molecule), which is incorrect for butyne.
- C4H10 is the formula for butane, an alkane, which does not contain a triple bond.
Thus, the correct chemical formula for butyne, which contains a triple bond, is C4H6.
