Question

The IUPAC name of ethylmethylketone is

Short answer

Answer: The IUPAC name of ethylmethylketone is 1-ethyl-2-methylpropan-2-one.

Step-by-step solution

Identify ethylmethylketone's structure and functional groups

First, we'll analyze the structure of ethylmethylketone by breaking it down into its parts. The compound consists of an ethyl group (CH3CH2), a methyl group (CH3), and a ketone functional group (C=O). The presence of the ketone functional group tells us that we should expect an "one" suffix in our IUPAC name. The complete structure of the compound is CH3CH2C(=O)CH3.

Determine the parent chain

Next, we need to find the longest continuous carbon chain, which will serve as the basis for the IUPAC name. In ethylmethylketone, there is a 3-carbon chain (CH3CH2C(=O)CH3), making it a derivative of propane. Thus, the parent chain is named "propan-".

Number the carbon atoms in the chain

Now, we have to assign numbers to the carbon atoms in the chain, starting at the end closest to the functional group. The ketone group is bonded to the second carbon in the chain. This means that the numbering will go as follows: CH3 (1) - CH2 (2) - C(=O) (3) - CH3 (2').

Name the substituents

In this step, we'll identify and name the substituents attached to the parent chain. We have a methyl group (CH3) attached to the second carbon and an ethyl group (CH3CH2) attached to the first carbon. The substituent names are "methyl" and "ethyl".

Assemble the IUPAC name

Now, we can combine all of the information we've gathered to form the complete IUPAC name. The parent chain is "propan-", the highest priority functional group is the ketone group at carbon 3 giving us the suffix "-2-one", and the substituents on carbons 1 and 2 are "ethyl-" and "methyl-", respectively. To complete the IUPAC name, we must enumerate and alphabetize the substituents. The full name will be: 1-ethyl-2-methylpropan-2-one.