To determine the systematic name of an alkane, the first step is to identify the longest carbon chain, known as the parent chain. In this case, the longest chain consists of nine carbon atoms, which corresponds to the alkane named nonane. The numbering of the carbon atoms begins from the end closest to a substituent to ensure the lowest possible numbers for the substituents.
In this example, there are three substituents: a three-carbon substituent, a one-carbon substituent, and a bromine atom. The three-carbon substituent is identified as isopropyl, while the one-carbon substituent is methyl. The bromine substituent is denoted as bromo. When naming the compound, it is essential to number the substituents according to their position on the parent chain and to list them alphabetically.
Following the rules of nomenclature, the substituents are numbered as follows: starting from the right side, the carbon chain is numbered 1 through 9. The isopropyl group is located at carbon 6, the methyl group at carbon 5, and the bromo group at carbon 3. Therefore, the systematic name of the compound is constructed by placing the substituents in alphabetical order, leading to the final name: 3-bromo-5-methyl-6-isopropylnonane.