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What are skeletal formulas or skeletal structures (of organic compounds) ?

Answer 1

These are formulaic representations that DO NOT illustrate hydrogen....

We know say that #"n-butane"# is #C_4H_12#..we could write it long hand...#H_3C-CH_2CH_2CH_3#...alternatively, we could write it as...

...alternatively, we could write it as...

The second representation is the skeletal formula....the zig-zag represents a methylene unit, i.e. #CH_2CH_2#...and of course with more complicated structures we could insert heteroatoms, and carbocycles, and heterocycles appropriately.

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Answer 2

Zoe Alexander

Skeletal formulas, or skeletal structures, are simplified representations of organic compounds that convey the connectivity of atoms. They omit hydrogen atoms and depict carbon-carbon bonds as lines. Functional groups and non-carbon atoms are usually included, providing a concise visual representation of a molecule's structure.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.