Question

Please help

Butanol's structural formula is C4H10, why? [Methanol?Ethanol?Pentanol?)

Pentan-1-ol exists as several different isomers. I don't know how to draw them.

Answer 1

The sequence (called a homologous series) is methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, pentanol...

Butanol's molecular formula is C4H10O. There is more than one isomer with this molecular formula. It is difficult to show structural formulae on here. One structural formula with molecular formula of C4H10O is

CH3CH2CH2CH2OH (butan-1-ol)

Pentan-1-ol is

CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2-OH

There are isomers but none is pentan-1-ol, for example

(CH3)2CHCH2CH2-OH

which is 3-methylbutan-1-ol