5 Carbons + 1 Heteroatom = ?

I have to find a pure organic compound with at least five carbon atoms and at least one heteroatom, no mixtures. I've looked all over the internet and cannot find anything matching that criteria. Help?
- Rachel (age 14)

Rachel:

The organic compound that comes to my mind that matches your description is called pyridine

You can read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyridine

It has 5 carbon atoms and a nitrogen atom, making it heterocyclic (i.e. a circular structure without symmetry). It’s aromatic, meaning that the electrons in the pi bonds are delocalized around the whole ring.

If you want a non-aromatic example, the one that comes to mind is piperidine:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piperidine

I hope that helps.

Jason

(published on 10/22/2007)