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Hexane $\ce{C6H14}$ has 5 isomers, but I'm able to draw at least 6 different structures, which initially led me to think that there were 6 isomers.

So how can I tell which structure will qualify as an isomer?

The only rule my textbook suggests is connectivity exemplified as a $\ce{CH3}$ (for example) that runs downward at the end of the straight chain, which is no different than the straight chain itself.

Buttonwood
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Danny Rodriguez
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    is your question rather like How do I recognize if the two structures are the same? – mykhal May 20 '17 at 22:46
  • No. I can tell when structures are the same. It's just that, during a textbook question, I'm give hexane and told to draw the 5 isomers of it. One of my structures was different and yet, I still had the 6 carbons and 16 hydrogens, which got me wondering why this odd T-shaped isomer wasn't in the textbook. – Danny Rodriguez May 20 '17 at 22:50
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    Hexane indeed has five isomers, which means that your sixth isomer is identical to one of the other five. There is no going around it. – Ivan Neretin May 20 '17 at 23:09
  • Yes I'm beginning to see it now. I think you're right. – Danny Rodriguez May 20 '17 at 23:10
  • So I believe that mykhal is right with this comment and I was wrong. I do indeed need help telling whether two structures are the same. – Danny Rodriguez May 20 '17 at 23:11
  • Would getting those organic chemistry models that are sold on amazon help me understand if two structures are the same? https://www.amazon.com/Duluth-Labs-Organic-Chemistry-Molecular/dp/B016ZAWAIS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495321955&sr=8-1&keywords=organic+chemistry+models – Danny Rodriguez May 20 '17 at 23:13

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