Primary carbon
A primary carbon is a carbon atom which is bound to only one other carbon atom. It is thus at the end of a carbon chain. In case of an alkane, three hydrogen atoms are bound to a primary carbon. A hydrogen atom could also be replaced by a hydroxy group, which would make the molecule a primary alcohol.
| primary carbon | secondary carbon | tertiary carbon | quaternary carbon | |
| General structure | ||||
| Partial Structural formula |