Molar mass of the hydrocarbon (X) which on ozonolysis consumes one mole of O3 per mole of (X) and gives one mole each of ethanal and propanone is ______ gmol−1 (Molar mass of C: 12gmol−1, H: 1gmol−1)
Answer: 70
Solution
Ozonolysis cleaves a carbon–carbon double bond, and each double bond consumes one mole of O3; since (X) uses exactly one mole it contains a single C=C bond. The two carbonyl fragments reveal the carbon skeleton on either side of that bond. Ethanal, CH3CHO, has two carbons and comes from a CH3CH= end, while propanone, (CH3)2CO, has three carbons and comes from a (CH3)2C= end, because joining the two carbonyl carbons through a double bond must regenerate the original alkene. That reunion gives (CH3)2C=CHCH3, which is 2-methylbut-2-ene with molecular formula C5H10. Its molar mass is 5(12)+10(1)=70gmol−1.