Is CH₃CH(CH₂CH₃)₂ the same as CH₃CH(CH₃CH₂)₂ The carbon in front of the parenthesis is bonded to 2 CH2 which then bonded to CH3, it cannot bond directly to CH3. I assume the correct way of writing the formula of this molecule will be CH₃CH(CH₂CH₃)₂.
However, the university lecturer says its ok to write CH₃CH(CH₃CH₂)₂ because it is a common knowledge that CH3 cannot bond to both CH2 and C at the same time which indicate that the carbon in front of the parenthesis is bonded to CH2.
Trying to understand the lecturer's explanation, does it mean that in a parenthesis, it doesn't matter whether one person writes the order of bonding forward or backward and it is up to the reader to figure out whether the carbon in front of the parenthesis is bonded to the first or the last carbon in the parenthesis?
I am a non-native English speaker and I hope my question is explained clearly. Tried my best to phase this. Please let me know if any part of the question does not make sense.
In chemistry, as in any &quot;language&quot;, there is what must be said to be correct: it is the 1st way your molecule is written.
Your second way of writing it is not wrong but it does not correspond to the globally institutionalized standard. The goal for any language is to be understood no matter where you are.
The conventions indicate that it should be written $\ce{CH3-CH-(CH2-CH3)2}$ which does not induce any ambiguity