how do you draw the skeletal structure for (z)-pent-2-ene.
Analyse the name piece by piece.
Pentene = a 5-carbon hydrocarbon with a single double bond.
Pent-2-ene has a double bond in the second carbon atom.
(Z) at the beginning means that the two CH3 groups are on the same side of the double bond (Zusammen) means "together" in German.
So (Z)-Pent-2-ene
has a shape like
CH3 CH3
\  /
CH == CH -- CH2
To draw the skeletal structure for (z)-pent-2-ene, follow these steps:
Step 1: Determine the number of carbon atoms
In this case, "pent" indicates that there are five carbon atoms in the molecule.
Step 2: Determine the placement of the double bond
"(z)-" indicates the stereochemistry around the double bond. In this case, the "z" configuration indicates that the two higher priority substituents on each carbon of the double bond are on the same side.
Step 3: Start with a straight chain of carbon atoms
Draw a chain of five carbon atoms in a row. This represents the backbone of the molecule.
Step 4: Place the double bond
Locate the second carbon atom on the chain, which is where the double bond starts. Draw a double bond between the second and third carbon atoms.
Step 5: Assign substituents on the carbon chain
Assign substituents to the carbon atoms. Since (z)-pent-2-ene doesn't have any specific substituents mentioned, you can simply draw hydrogen atoms on all the remaining carbon atoms.
Step 6: Verify the (z)-configuration
To confirm that the higher priority substituents on each carbon of the double bond are on the same side, you can use the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog (CIP) rules to assign priority to substituents. If the highest priority groups are on the same side, the molecule has the (z)-configuration.
So, the skeletal structure for (z)-pent-2-ene looks like this:
H H
\ /
C=C
/ \
H H