Mississippi Science CHE.4.5
The Standard
- CHE.4
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the types of bonds and resulting atomic structures for the classification of chemical compounds.
Use models of simple hydrocarbons to exemplify structural isomerism.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Bonding
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Build or draw two C4H10 molecules with different carbon connections. Check that each carbon has four bonds and explain why the models are not just turned versions of one molecule.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can draw straight-chain butane and branched 2-methylpropane with the hydrogens in the right places. They can show that both have four carbons and ten hydrogens, then point to the carbon connections that differ.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may mistake a rotated model for a new isomer. They may move hydrogens without changing the carbon connections, or draw a carbon with five bonds.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Draw two different C4H10 structures and label the number of hydrogens on each carbon. Write one sentence explaining why rotating one drawing cannot make it match the other.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs four carbon pieces and ten hydrogen pieces; have them build both C4H10 structures, checking four bonds at each carbon.
Display straight-chain and branched C4H10 drawings; ask, 'Which carbon has three carbon neighbors in one drawing but not the other?'
Hand out C4H10 drawing cards, including rotated copies; students sort them into two structures and justify each match by carbon connections.
Show a gas-pump octane label, then compare models of straight-chain octane and branched isooctane to find how their carbon connections differ.
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