What is metamerism? Give the structure and IUPAC name of the metamers of 2-methoxypropane?

Answer: To resolve this, you need to understand the metameters. Metamers are substances that share the same chemical formula but differ in the number of alkyl groups or carbon atoms on either side of the functional group. functional group (like –O–, –NH–, etc.). These compounds are called metamers.

Complete Answer:

Suppose we have  2-methoxypropane.

In 2-methoxypropane, the name tells us two things: ‘Propane’ means the main carbon chain has three carbon atoms.

‘2-methoxy’ means a methoxy group (–OCH₃) is attached to the second carbon of that chain.

So, the structure of 2-methoxypropane looks like this: CH₃–CH (OCH₃)–CH₃ or simply

CH₃–O–CH(CH₃)₂

This compound belongs to the ether group, not the ester. It contains an oxygen atom between two carbon groups, which is the characteristic feature of ethers. The molecular formula of 2-methoxypropane is C₄H₁₀O.

The metamers of 2-methoxypropane are compounds that have the same molecular formula (C₄H₁₀O) and the same functional group (ether), but the carbon chains (alkyl groups) on either side of the oxygen are different. 

In 2-methoxypropane, there is a methyl group (CH₃) on one side of the oxygen and an isopropyl group on the other. One of its metamers is ethoxyethane (also called diethyl ether), which has ethyl groups (CH₃CH₂) on both sides of the oxygen;

 Its structure is CH₃CH₂–O–CH₂CH₃. 

Diethyl ether is the IUPAC name for the 2-methoxypropane metamer. Ethoxy ethane is another name for diethyl ether.

Another metamer is 1-methoxypropane, where one side of the oxygen has a methyl group and the other has a straight-chain propyl group (CH₂CH₂CH₃);

  Its structure is CH₃–O–CH₂CH₂CH₃. 

Even though all these compounds look a little different, they are related because they have the same number of atoms and the same type of functional group. That’s what makes them metamers.

Thus, it is important to distinguish between tautomers and metamers. Tautomers can easily be converted into one another and share the same chemical formula. The molecular formula of metamers is the same, but the number of carbon atoms or alkyl groups on either side of the functional group varies.

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