Introduction

3.3. Skeletal Formula

o All the hydrogen atoms are removed from carbon chains
o Leaving just a carbon skeleton with functional groups attached to it
(i.e. the H atoms of carbon chains are not explicitly shown)

o In a skeletal structure
(i) there is a carbon atom at each junction between bonds in a chain and
at the end of each bond (unless there is another functional group —
such as the -OH group in the butan-2-ol example);

(it) there are hydrogen atoms (which are not drawn) attached to each
carbon atom to make the total number of bonds on each carbon up
to 4.