Constitution (chemistry)

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Two H atoms are bound to the middle C atom. Here the hydrocarbon propane .

The constitution of a molecule is the amount and type of bonds between the atoms of the molecule. This information is not easily available for most molecules, especially those natural products that are not biopolymers .

With the help of NMR spectroscopy and X-ray structure analysis, it is possible to determine the constitution of unknown (natural) substances. In organic chemistry, for example, the prefixes primary, secondary and tertiary are used to express how many hydrogen atoms and other substituents are attached to the respective carbon atom.

An example of constitutional information can be found in propane (C 3 H 8 ); here the second represents a secondary carbon atom.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Siegfried Hauptmann : Organic Chemistry , 2nd revised edition, VEB Deutscher Verlag für Grundstoffindustrie, Leipzig, 1985, pp. 18–24, ISBN 3-342-00280-8 .