Counting stereoisomers from chiral centers in the skeletal formula

Steps:

• Identify all carbon atoms with four different substituents to find chiral centers.
• Locate three such tetrahedral chiral carbons in the molecule.
• Confirm no meso forms or symmetry that reduces the count.
• Calculate total stereoisomers as $2^n$, where $n=3$ chiral centers.

Why C is correct:

• For $n$ chiral centers without meso compounds, the formula $2^n$ gives 8 stereoisomers, matching the three distinct chiral carbons here.

Why the others are wrong:

• A ignores one chiral center, yielding only $2^2=4$.
• B assumes two chiral centers plus one cis-trans isomer, but no double bond exists.
• D overcounts by assuming four chiral centers ($2^4=16$).

Final answer: C