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What is the displayed formula for cis-1,2-dichlorocyclobutane

The title says it all

Thanks in advance (:
Original post by Mathsqueen
The title says it all

Thanks in advance (:


Do you mean butene?

Take the name apart:
The stem is but- so it has four carbons.
It's cyclic, so these four carbons must be in a ring structure.
To be a cis isomer, it must be an alkene. The carbons of the double bond must have the lowest numbers.
The two chlorine atoms are on these lowest numbers, 1 and 2. The way they are arranged in space is determined by whether the compound is cis or trans.

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Reply 2
Original post by pineneedles
Do you mean butene?

Take the name apart:
The stem is but- so it has four carbons.
It's cyclic, so these four carbons must be in a ring structure.
To be a cis isomer, it must be an alkene. The carbons of the double bond must have the lowest numbers.
The two chlorine atoms are on these lowest numbers, 1 and 2. The way they are arranged in space is determined by whether the compound is cis or trans.

Spoiler



It is possible for cycloalkanes to be stereoisomers.
It requires a restricted bond. In a cycloalkane you cannot rotate the bonds such that you reposition the arrangement of chlorine atoms.
Original post by RMNDK
It is possible for cycloalkanes to be stereoisomers.
It requires a restricted bond. In a cycloalkane you cannot rotate the bonds such that you reposition the arrangement of chlorine atoms.


Ahh good point. I'd forgotten that, generally we see cis/trans isomers of alkenes.
Thanks for correcting me!

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