Which of the following structures represents ethyl methyl ether?

Ethyl methyl ether is an ether compound in which an ethyl group (C₂H₅) is bonded to an oxygen atom, which is also connected to a methyl group (CH₃). The correct structure represents this arrangement perfectly.

In the correct structure, CH₃-CH₂-O-CH₃, you can see that it consists of an ethyl group (the CH₃-CH₂ part) combined with a methyl group (the CH₃ part) joined by an oxygen atom (the -O-). This representation clearly aligns with the IUPAC nomenclature for ethers, where the alkyl groups are named in alphabetical order.

The other structures listed do not accurately represent ethyl methyl ether. For instance, the second structure, CH₃O-CH₂-CH₃, does not contain an ethyl group and instead has a different arrangement where the methoxy (CH₃O-) part is distinctly separate from a propyl group (CH₂-CH₃). The third structure, CH₃-CH₂-CH₂-O-CH₃, incorporates a propyl group instead of an ethyl group, and the oxygen is placed between a propyl and a methyl