Name the following dialcohol.

• A. hexane-3,6-diol
• B. hexane-3,6-ol
• C. heptane-3,6-diol
• D. heptane-2,5-diol

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the longest carbon chain in the structure. In this case, the longest chain contains 7 carbon atoms, which corresponds to 'heptane'.
2. Number the carbon chain starting from the end closest to the first hydroxyl group (-OH) to ensure the lowest possible numbers for the substituents. Here, the numbering should start from the left.
3. Locate the positions of the hydroxyl groups. The first hydroxyl group is on the second carbon, and the second hydroxyl group is on the fifth carbon.
4. Combine the information to name the compound. Since there are two hydroxyl groups, the suffix '-diol' is used. The positions of the hydroxyl groups are indicated by the numbers 2 and 5.
5. The correct IUPAC name for the compound is 'heptane-2,5-diol', indicating a seven-carbon chain with hydroxyl groups on the second and fifth carbons.