A secondary carbon is a
carbon atom bound to two other carbon atoms and has sp3 hybridization. For this reason, secondary carbon atoms are found in almost (neopentane, for example, does not have any secondary carbon atoms) all
hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...
s having at least three carbon atoms. In
unbranched alkanes, the inner carbon atoms are always secondary carbon atoms (see figure).
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''primary'' carbon
, style="background-color:#AAC1FF" , ''secondary'' carbon
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''tertiary'' carbon
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''quaternary'' carbon
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, align="center" style="background-color:#CAE1FF; height:80px; width:20%" , General structure
(R =
Organyl group
In organic and organometallic chemistry, an organyl group (commonly denoted by the letter " R") is an organic substituent with one (sometimes more) free valence electron(s) at a carbon atom.. The term is often used in chemical patent literatur ...
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Structural formula
The structural formula of a chemical compound is a graphic representation of the molecular structure (determined by structural chemistry methods), showing how the atoms are connected to one another. The chemical bonding within the molecule is al ...
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References
Chemical nomenclature
Organic chemistry