Explain how caryophyllene fits the isoprene rule.

I don't know how to explain this. I do know the isoprene rule is (C5H8)n, where n is the number of isoprene units. Please help.

Caryophyllene has the formula C15H24.

The isoprene rule is (C5H8)n.
So (C5H8)3 is C15H24; therefore, caryophyllene fits the isoprene rule.

Here is the site I used to determine the empirical formula for the compound.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caryophyllene

Thank you very much.

Sure! The isoprene rule is a general guideline used in organic chemistry to predict the molecular formula of many natural products. According to the isoprene rule, many natural compounds, particularly those derived from plants, are built by repeating isoprene units.

An isoprene unit is composed of five carbon atoms and eight hydrogen atoms, with a molecular formula of C5H8. Natural products that follow the isoprene rule will have a molecular formula that is a multiple of C5H8.

Now, let's take a look at caryophyllene. Caryophyllene is a natural compound found in many plants, including cloves, hops, and cannabis. Its molecular formula is C15H24, which is not an exact multiple of C5H8.

However, caryophyllene can still be explained to fit the isoprene rule. To do this, we can break down its molecular formula into smaller units. In the case of caryophyllene, it can be divided into three isoprene units.

Each isoprene unit has a molecular formula of C5H8. So, when we multiply the molecular formula of one isoprene unit (C5H8) by three, we get the molecular formula of caryophyllene: C15H24.

Therefore, even though the molecular formula of caryophyllene is not an exact multiple of C5H8, it can still be explained to fit the isoprene rule by recognizing its composition of three isoprene units.