Question

How many double bond equivalents (degrees of unsaturation) are in 2,2,3,3-tetramethyl-4-octyne?

Answer 1

`DBE=2`

In other words, the molecule has 2 degrees of unsaturation.

Explanation:

The molecular formula of 2,2,3,3-tetramethyl-4-octyne is `C_12H_22`

The general formula for calculating the double bond equivalent (DBE) is:

`DBE=C-H/2+N/2+1`

where, `C` is the number of carbon atoms, `H` is the number of hydrogen and halogen atoms, and `N` is the number of nitrogen atoms if there is any in the molecule.

Therefore, in this case:

`DBE=12-(22)/2+(0)/2+1=2`

It is logic to find `DBE=2` since we have two `pi` bonds in a triple bond.