Calculate the minimum number of carbon atoms required to form a saturated acyclic hydrocarbon that contains exactly one quaternary () carbon atom and exactly two secondary () carbon atoms.

Question

Calculate the minimum number of carbon atoms required to form a saturated acyclic hydrocarbon that contains exactly one quaternary ($4^\circ$) carbon atom and exactly two secondary ($2^\circ$) carbon atoms.

Prashant Kotian · Accepted Answer

Correct answer: 7. A carbon must be attached to 4 other carbons. To have exactly two carbons, they must be part of the chains attached to the carbon. A minimum molecular structure would be (2,2-dimethylpentane). This has 1 carbon, 2 carbons, and 4 carbons. Total C atoms = 7.

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