Labs / Chemistry
Isomer Builder
Drag the carbon from the corner onto any atom to grow a molecule, and tap an end carbon to snip it off. The lab auto-fills hydrogens up to four bonds per carbon, works out the molecular formula and IUPAC name, and tallies every distinct isomer you find for a given formula.
formula C4H10name butaneisomers 1
What to try
- Butane is C4H10 — can you rearrange four carbons into a second molecule with the same formula but a different name?
- Every carbon caps out at four bonds. What happens when you try to hang a fifth atom on one that is already full?
- How many different isomers can you build from six carbons? Does the counter agree with what chemists expect?
- Why does the formula always land on C-n-H-(2n+2) no matter how you branch the chain?
- When does adding a branch shorten the main chain, and how does that flip the name from a pentane back to a butane?