See image — Isomerism and Stereochemistry Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Concept: A chiral carbon (stereocenter) is a carbon atom bonded to four different substituents. Step 1: Identify the structures of the four butyl alcohols (all are C4H9OH isomers). - n-butyl alcohol: CH3-CH2-CH2-CH2OH. No carbon has four different groups; C1 has two H's, C2 has two H's, etc. No chiral center. - iso-butyl alcohol: (CH3)2CHCH2OH. The CH2OH carbon has two H's; the CH carbon has two identical CH3 groups. No chiral center. - sec-butyl alcohol: CH3-CH(OH)-CH2-CH3. The carbon bearing the OH group (C2) is bonded to: OH, H, CH3, and CH2CH3 — four different groups. This is a chiral center. - tert-butyl alcohol: (CH3)3COH. The carbon bearing OH has three identical CH3 groups. No chiral center. Step 2: Evaluate each option. - (a) n-butyl alcohol: no chiral carbon — eliminated. - (b) iso-butyl alcohol: no chiral carbon — eliminated. - (c) sec-butyl alcohol: C2 bears OH, H, CH3, and C2H5 — four different substituents — chiral carbon present. - (d) tert-butyl alcohol: no chiral carbon — eliminated. Step 3: Conclusion. Only sec-butyl alcohol possesses a chiral carbon atom among the four isomeric butyl alcohols. Therefore, the correct answer is C.