IGNORE MY FIRST POST. I CORRECTED THIS ONE

Question

Write IUPAC name of the following alkanes:

1. (CH3)3 -C-CH2-CH2-CH3
  all the numbers are subscripts. So there are 3 CH3's, C,CH2,CH2, and CH3
This is what my teacher has in my homework. The parenthesis really throw my off on how to name this.

So am I wrong or is my teacher wrong?

Dr Russ · Answer

It would be better and more conventionally written as

(CH3)3CCH2CH2CH3

the longest continuous chain of C atoms is 5, from the CH3 on the LHS to the CH3 on the RHS. Much easier if you make a model, plasticine and used matches work well if you cdon't have models.

So it is a pentane. There are two CH3s on C-1 so it is

1,1-dimethylpentane.