A disclaimer: This problem does not assume any knowledge of chemistry:


The formulae for chemical molecules and their names are given below in mixed order:
C₃H₈, C₄H₆, C₃H₄, C₄H₈, C₇H₁₄, C₂H₂;
Heptene, Butyne, Propane, Butene, Ethyne, Propyne.

1.Match the formulae with the names.
Explain your solution.

2.Write the names corresponding to the following formulae: C₂H₄, C₂H₆, C₇H₁₂.

3.Write the formulae for the following molecules: Propene, Butane.

Source: Russian contest

I wonder why the original contest did not include the initial building block, methane, CH_4.

When Ady first proposed this I saw some spellings which were incompatible with my High School Chemistry studies.  One term referred to a medicinal drug rather than a molecule.

Somehow I stumbled upon what was possibly Ady's source: http://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/?p=383, there I saw the spellings which he had offered.

At the time when I questioned the spellings offered "propine" was the only one which Google addressed.  Today I find that those with the "-yne" do appear under Google search with an "-ine" ending.  I'll not attempt what is the accepted Anglo-American spelling but it does seem that in some places alternates are acceptable.

Just for interest.

Edited on August 16, 2012, 11:29 pm

Posted by brianjn on 2012-08-16 23:09:53