Name: Preparation of Acetylene in Lab
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 4 min 41 s
Description: Acetylene is a colourless and odourless gas used for welding and cutting. The video demonstrates the experiment to prepare acetylene in the laboratory.

Question

Compare the structures of ethyl acetylene and dimethyl acetylene. What similarities or differences do you notice? Do they fall in any special category of compounds?

Accepted Answer

Ethyl acetylene is the common name for the compound with IUPAC name but-1-yne. The condensed structure of ethyl acetylene is $HC \equiv C - {CH}_{2} - {CH}_{3}$ , that is, an ethyl group is attached to the acetylene structure. Or, a triple bond is present between the first and second carbon of but-1-yne. The structural formula of ethyl acetylene is given below:

Dimethyl acetylene is the common name for the compound with IUPAC name but-2-yne. The condensed structure of dimethyl acetylene is $H_{3} C - C \equiv C - {CH}_{3}$ , that is, two methyl groups are attached to the acetylene structure $(- C \equiv C -)$ . Or a triple bond is present between the second and third carbon of but-2-yne. The structural formula of dimethyl acetylene is given below:

It is clear that the two compounds, ethyl acetylene and dimethyl acetylene, are having same molecular formula $C_{4} H_{6}$ but different structures. Isomers are molecules that have the same molecular formula but different arrangements of the atoms nothing but different structures. Thus, ethyl acetylene and dimethyl acetylene are isomers.

Compare the structures of ethyl acetylene and dimethyl acetylene. What similarities or differences do you notice? Do they fall in any special category of compounds?

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