Complete the skeleton below to show the following structure

Complete the skeleton below to show the following structure: (1R,2R,5S)-2-bromo-5-ethylcyclohexanol. (6 Marks)

The Correct Answer and Explanation is:

To complete the skeletal structure of (1R,2R,5S)-2-bromo-5-ethylcyclohexanol, start by identifying the base molecule: cyclohexane, which is already provided.

Step-by-Step Completion:

  1. Number the cyclohexane ring:
    Assign carbon 1 to the carbon bearing the hydroxyl (-OH) group. Number the ring clockwise to give the lowest possible locants to the substituents at positions 2 and 5.
  2. Add substituents:
    • At C1: Attach the hydroxyl group (-OH) with R configuration. In a chair conformation, the equatorial position is generally more stable, but stereochemistry determines orientation. The R configuration here will place the OH axial up if the viewer assigns priorities accordingly.
    • At C2: Attach a bromine atom (Br) with R configuration. Based on stereochemistry rules, this places the Br group equatorial down.
    • At C5: Attach an ethyl group (-CH₂CH₃) with S configuration, which typically goes axial down.
  3. Maintain 3D stereochemistry:
    Use solid wedges (coming out of the plane) and dashed wedges (going behind the plane) to indicate chiral centers:
    • C1: OH on a solid wedge up
    • C2: Br on a solid wedge down
    • C5: Ethyl group on a dashed wedge down

Final Answer Description:

  • The ring is cyclohexane.
  • OH group is on carbon 1 with R configuration (solid wedge).
  • Br is on carbon 2 with R configuration (solid wedge or placed to reflect spatial orientation).
  • Ethyl group is on carbon 5 with S configuration (dashed wedge).

This ensures the structure reflects the stereochemistry (1R,2R,5S) and matches the molecular name 2-bromo-5-ethylcyclohexanol. The skeletal structure should be a proper 3D representation with appropriate wedges to reflect chirality.

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