How many structures of aldehydes are possible for molecular
formula `C_(5)H_(10)O` ?

Options

A. 4
B. 7
C. 6
D. 8

Answer

To determine how many structures of aldehydes are possible for the molecular formula \( C_5H_{10}O \), we will follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the General Formula for Aldehydes
Aldehydes have the general formula \( C_nH_{2n}O \). For \( C_5H_{10}O \), we can see that \( n = 5 \).

### Step 2: Identify the Functional Group
The functional group for aldehydes is \( -CHO \) (which can also be represented as \( C=O \) with a hydrogen atom). This means that one carbon atom will be part of the aldehyde functional group.

### Step 3: Determine the Carbon Skeleton
Since we have 5 carbons in total and one carbon is part of the aldehyde group, we have 4 carbons left to arrange in the carbon skeleton.

### Step 4: Generate Possible Isomers
We will now generate the possible structural isomers by arranging the remaining 4 carbons in different configurations:

1. **Straight Chain Isomer**:
- **Butanal**: \( CH_3(CH_2)_3CHO \)

2. **Branched Isomers**:
- **2-Methylbutanal**: \( (CH_3)_2CH(CH_2)CHO \)
- **3-Methylbutanal**: \( CH_3CH(CH_3)CH_2CHO \)
- **2,2-Dimethylpropanal**: \( (CH_3)_3CCHO \)

### Step 5: Count the Isomers
After generating the structures, we can count them:
1. Butanal
2. 2-Methylbutanal
3. 3-Methylbutanal
4. 2,2-Dimethylpropanal

Thus, there are a total of **4 structural isomers** for the molecular formula \( C_5H_{10}O \).

### Final Answer
The number of structures of aldehydes possible for the molecular formula \( C_5H_{10}O \) is **4**.

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