What is the structural formula for propanol?

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Multiple Choice

What is the structural formula for propanol?

Explanation:
Propanol is an alcohol with three carbon atoms in a chain and a hydroxyl group attached to one end. The structural formula CH3-CH2-CH2-OH shows exactly that: a three-carbon chain with the OH group on the terminal carbon, which is 1-propanol. The molecular formula C3H8O also describes propanol in general, but it doesn’t show how the atoms are connected, so it isn’t a structural representation. CH3OH is methanol (one carbon), and CH3-CH2-OH is ethanol (two carbons).

Propanol is an alcohol with three carbon atoms in a chain and a hydroxyl group attached to one end. The structural formula CH3-CH2-CH2-OH shows exactly that: a three-carbon chain with the OH group on the terminal carbon, which is 1-propanol.

The molecular formula C3H8O also describes propanol in general, but it doesn’t show how the atoms are connected, so it isn’t a structural representation. CH3OH is methanol (one carbon), and CH3-CH2-OH is ethanol (two carbons).

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