Biological Matter Organic and Bioinorganic Substances

Structural formulas also provide information on the way the atoms are arranged and bonded to one another within a molecule. The structural formula of substances not only specifies the type of atoms and how many atoms of each type there are in the molecule of a compound it also provides an outline of the structure of the molecule, pinpointing exactly where each atom is located. Each element in a structural formula is represented by its symbol, and the bonds between atoms are indicated by lines connecting the symbols (see Fig. 60). Thus, structural formulas not only provide information on the type and number of atoms in a molecule of a substance but also depict the internal structure of the molecule of the substance. 

The molecules of two organic compounds are sometimes composed of the same type and number of atoms, but arranged in different ways. The molecular formula of each one of such compounds, which are known as Isomers (for example, isoleucine and alloisoleucine, shown in Fig. 73), is therefore identical to that of the other only the structural formulas of the two isomers show the differences between their molecules (see Textbox 63). 

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