What is the IUPAC name of the compound CH3-CH2-C(=O)-O-CH3?

To determine the correct IUPAC name for the compound CH3-CH2-C(=O)-O-CH3, we can analyze its structure.

This compound has a carbon chain connected to a carbonyl group (C=O) followed by an ester's characteristic -O- group. The presence of a carbonyl group bonded to an oxygen indicates that this is an ester. The carbon chain that is directly bonded to the carbonyl is the acyl group, while the -OCH3 portion represents the alcohol that has reacted with the acid.

In this case, the longest carbon chain containing the carbonyl group has three carbon atoms, classifying it as a propanoate group. The methyl group (-OCH3) indicates that the alcohol part comes from methanol.

Therefore, the compound can be named as the ester formed from propanoic acid (with the three carbons) and methanol. The proper naming convention dictates that we name the alkoxy group (in this case, derived from methanol) first, followed by the acyl chain (derived from propanoic acid). This yields the correct IUPAC name: Methyl propanoate.

The other names do not correctly represent the functional groups or the