Which is the correct name for

Question

ScanSolve AI Tutor · Accepted Answer

To determine the IUPAC name for the given compound, we follow these steps:

Identify the main functional group and the parent chain.
The compound contains both a hydroxyl ( $\text{OH}$ ) group and a carboxylic acid ( $\text{COOH}$ ) group. According to IUPAC rules, the carboxylic acid group has higher priority and defines the parent chain. The carbon atom of the carboxylic acid group is always designated as C1.
Number the carbon atoms in the longest continuous chain that includes the carboxylic acid group, starting from the carboxylic acid carbon (C1).
The structure can be drawn as:
$\text{CH}_3 - \text{CH}(\text{OH}) - \text{CH}_2 - \text{COOH}$
Numbering the carbons from the carboxylic acid end:
$\text{C}4\text{H}_3 - \text{C}3\text{H}(\text{OH}) - \text{C}2\text{H}_2 - \text{C}1\text{OOH}$
The longest chain containing the carboxylic acid group has 4 carbon atoms. Therefore, the parent acid is butanoic acid.
Identify and locate any substituents.
There is a hydroxyl ( $\text{OH}$ ) group attached to the third carbon (C3) of the main chain.
Construct the full IUPAC name.
The parent chain is butanoic acid, and there is a hydroxyl group at position 3.
Combining these, the correct IUPAC name is 3-hydroxybutanoic acid.

The option A shown in the image is "2-hydroxybutanoic acid", which is incorrect based on our analysis.

The correct name for the compound is $\text{3-hydroxybutanoic acid}$ .

Answer