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Chemistry vocabulary · Organic Chemistry

Isomer

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

/ˈaɪsəmə/nounCommon term

In chemistry, isomer means: One of two or more compounds that have the same molecular formula but a different arrangement of atoms, and so have different properties. Butane and isobutane are an example.

In Turkish: izomer

How it is used

Used in organic chemistry and drug development. The main types are structural isomers and stereoisomers, which include enantiomers. You draw, separate or identify isomers; turning one into another is isomerization.

Example sentences

  1. Draw all the structural isomers of C₅H₁₂.

  2. The two isomers have the same molecular formula but very different boiling points.

Common collocations

  • structural isomer
  • geometric isomer
  • optical isomer
  • mixture of isomers
  • organic compoundA compound built mainly from carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen, often with oxygen, nitrogen or other elements. Fuels, plastics, drugs and most molecules of living things belong here.
  • alkaneA saturated hydrocarbon with only single bonds between its carbon atoms and the general formula CₙH₂ₙ₊₂. Methane, ethane, propane and butane are the simplest ones.
  • alkeneA hydrocarbon with at least one carbon–carbon double bond. Simple ones have the general formula CₙH₂ₙ, and ethene (ethylene) is the smallest.
  • functional groupA specific group of atoms within a molecule, such as –OH or –COOH, that gives the molecule its typical reactions. Compounds with the same group react in similar ways.

More terms: Organic Chemistry

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