Structural Formulae, Homology, Isomerism and Systematic Nomenclature

Chemistry Grade 10 Difficulty 2/5

Beginning of the lesson

Representing organic structures

A molecular formula gives the numbers of atoms but not their connectivity. Structural representations make connectivity visible at different levels of detail.

Representation	What it shows	Example for butane
Molecular formula	Atom counts only	C₄H₁₀
Displayed formula	Every atom and bond	All C–C and C–H bonds drawn
Condensed formula	Connectivity in grouped form	CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₃
Skeletal formula	Carbon chain as lines; line ends and vertices are carbon atoms	A three-segment zigzag

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