How many optically active isomers are possible for C5H11Cl
To determine the number of optically active isomers for C5H11Cl, we need to first identify the number of chiral carbon atoms in the molecule. Chiral carbon atoms are those that are bonded to four different substituents.
In a C5H11Cl molecule, we have one chlorine atom (Cl) and five carbon atoms (C). Let's examine the possible arrangements of the C and Cl atoms:
1. If the chlorine (Cl) is attached to one of the terminal carbon atoms (C) in the chain, we have a chiral carbon atom. Since there are five carbon atoms in total, we have 5 possibilities for this arrangement.
2. If the chlorine (Cl) is attached to one of the internal carbon atoms (C) in the chain, we do not have a chiral carbon atom since all four substituents are not different. Therefore, there are no possibilities for this arrangement.
Since we identified 5 possible chiral carbon atoms, we can calculate the number of optically active isomers using the formula 2^n, where n is the number of chiral carbon atoms.
In this case, n = 5, so the number of optically active isomers for C5H11Cl would be 2^5 = 32.
Please note that this calculation assumes that the C5H11Cl molecule forms a single chain without any branches or rings. The presence of branches or rings could result in additional possibilities.