ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => VCE Science => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Chemistry => Topic started by: Nomvalt on May 11, 2010, 10:11:33 pm
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H H
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H-C-C-O-H
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H H
How is this diagram incorrect? I think it has something to do with drawing O-H straight instead of in an angle... drawing O-H in an angle instead of straight (as above).
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Looks fine to me :P
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H H H
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H-C-C-O
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H H
If it helps, I think my teacher drew it like above or something like that (I didn't write down and this is coming from memory)...and I think he said it had to do with bonding and took time to tell us. I think he said it's true for all alcohols and is something to be careful about.
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You would not be marked incorrect for drawing the bond straight. You would be marked incorrect if you didn't show the bond between O and H and it had asked you to 'show all bonds'.
A common mistake on exams is forgetting to add the Hydrogens/giving Carbon too many bonds/writing CH3, especially when you are in a rush.
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If the examiner has had a bad day (divorce, car crash, insults for being a hairy bear) then they will want to take marks off if the carbon chain doesn't look "pretty", that is, it isn't zig zagging. I know this because last year a friend of mine lost 1 mark over this. But like significant figures and states, only one mark can be taken off the entire paper.
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I hope they're not THAT petty to take off marks just because you draw it straight and not zig zaggy... I like drawing it straight because it doesn't look as messy :P
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Do we have to draw the zig-zag structure? I thought it was perfectly acceptable to draw straight chains? At least that is what my teacher has alluded to(as well as what I remember from my textbook)....
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If the examiner has had a bad day (divorce, car crash, insults for being a hairy bear) then they will want to take marks off if the carbon chain doesn't look "pretty", that is, it isn't zig zagging. I know this because last year a friend of mine lost 1 mark over this.
This is definitely NOT true. As long as your answer is legible it will get the mark.
I repeat, NOT true!
*EDIT - legible and correct
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Unless it states to show its molecular geometry I doubt it matters how you draw it.