Naming Organic Molecules

[Felipe Rubio1H]

I am just a little confused about naming parent chains. In the "Introduction to Organic Chemistry" textbook on page 6, there is a molecule called 3-Ethylheptane. I just need to clarify, so a parent chain is just the longest continuous chain you can make with carbons, even if it is branched. I just thought that if it was branched it was a substituent, but in this example, they include the branched chain as their main chain and call it heptane, when i thought it would be called pentane. So, a parent chain is the longest chain of carbons that you can make going from left to right?

[Jessica Chern 1H]

Yes, the longest chain is the parent chain (it can bend around when drawing the structure).

[ribal_daniel_3H]

Also to add on to the last comment, I believe you can only make one bend in order to get the longest chain.

[EmilyLeibovitch2E]

I thought the parent chain could go either left to right or right to left? Does the direction of the chain matter?

[Chem_Mod]

Sometime a molecule is drawn where the longest chain is not drawn from left to right. In this case you need to check that going along a branched group gives you a longer chain.

[Aashi_Patel_3B]

https://www.stolaf.edu/depts/chemistry/ ... dnames.htm

Honestly this link has SO MANY line structure practice questions- you just keep generating! Also helps with analyzing and gives ALL potential names and why the correct one is correct. So if you're asked for naming from a line structure, this is the link!