From the molecular model kit, gather one carbon atom (black color and four holes

Question

From the molecular model kit, gather one carbon atom (black color and four holes), tour hydrogen atoms (white color and one hole) and four bonds (pink color). Make a methane molecule (CH_4) by using them (DO NOT use a black carbon atom with six holes.) Then sketch below the model by using wedge-dash notation (Explicitly write "H" and "C" symbols. When a carbon is attached to four different atoms or groups of atom, the shape of the carbon is tetrahedral. A tetrahedral structure is a three-dimensional structure and is not easy for us (humans) to visualize it. For example, two 2-dimensional structural formulas of CH_2Br_2 are written below. Make each molecule by using atoms and bonds in the molecular model kit: Use one carbon atom (black color and tour holes), two hydrogen atoms (white color and one hole), two red atoms (they are supposed 10 represent oxygen atoms, but use them to substitute bromine atoms in this question), and four bonds (pink color). Answer the following questions a. Are they (I and II) identical(super imposable)or different (non-super imposable)? b. Are they isomers? Explain your answer.

Explanation / Answer

If we are forming a tetrahedral structure with one carbon and two similar groups attached on it, then it will result into formation of same molecule (identical), they will not be isomer in any sense. As the spatial arrangement of the groups cannot be different from each other in any way.

An organic molecule with a chiral carbon can form steroisomers (entnatiomer) which are non superimposable mirror image of each other.

So the given CH2Br2 molecule cannot form two enantiomers as it lacks a chiral carbon (carbon with four different groups attached on it)

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