Trans and Cis

[Dominique Zuk 1G]

When naming compounds, how do I distinguish between using the prefixes "trans" and "cis"? When are they required, and when are they not?

[Allison Suzuki 2B]

Trans and cis molecules are isomers, meaning that they have the same molecular formula, and the basic difference between these molecules is the placement of its atoms. Also, trans molecules are non-polar while cis molecules are polar.

[MichelleCarter_1F]

hey! I was also confused about cis and trans molecules awhile ago, and I think the image I attached helps prove the comment before mine. Cis and trans molecules are going to be really important as we advance in chemistry, since structure plays a huge role in function (as we've all heard multiple times before). Whenever I think of cis and trans molecules, I think of trans molecules alternating in the patterns of what's around the central atom (like the hydrogens in the butene molecule).

[Katherine_Zhuo_3B]

An example would be the one we saw in class, where cis-diamminedichloroplatinum has the chlorides both on the left, whereas the trans-diamminedichloroplatinum has the chlorides located on opposite sides of each other.