Cinimod105

Hi, I am a secondary school student from Singapore. I am a Chemistry enthusiast, and is interested in all things related to Chemistry.

I think that it is not really necessary, as you can also find many 3D models online, which might help you to visualize the compounds just as well.

To do so, we have to understand the definition of 'real'. From what I know, all the theories we are learning today are simply proposed explanations for the different macroscopic phenomena that humans have observed. Thus, they may or may not be true. If something happens which does not comply with our current scientific model, then it would have to be altered. Similarly, the idea of atoms is simply what humans invented to explain the various physical properties of the things around us. To answer the original question, we are actually seeing atoms all around us, just that we are not seeing individual atoms, but rather, we see them bonded to one another to form the various compounds we use daily.

Just to point out, the structure on the right of the O is not ethene, due to the extra C to the left of it. If the position of the double bond was shifted one carbon to the left, then the compound can be named Allyl Butyl ether. However, due to the placement of the double bond, the C=C-C group cannot be named as a substituent group. Thus, we label the butyl group as -oxy to change it to the substituent group.