What are #"metamers"#? Are they simply isomers?

1 Answer
anor277
Feb 9, 2017

I have never heard of #"metamers"#, but I think that is the likely candidate.

Explanation:

Cylcohexane, #C_6H_12#, and benzene, #C_6H_6# are distinct chemical compounds. Thus they cannot be isomeric. They are neither polymers nor monomers (both species would be exceptionally hard to polymerize). So what is a metamer?

This dictionary gives #"metamers"# as:

#"isomerism especially of chemical compounds of the same type"#

I really do not think this defines the relationship between benzene and cyclohexane. Anyway, bide a while, and someone better informed than I will answer.

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