Alkanes
Crude oil is mostly made up of a group of A compound that contains hydrogen and carbon only. called the Saturated hydrocarbon. A compound of hydrogen and carbon only, with no C=C bonds..
A A 'family' of organic compounds that have the same functional group and similar chemical properties. is a series of molecules which:
- have the same An algebraic formula that sets out a rule or trend which is followed by all members of a homologous series. For example, all non-cyclic alkanes have the general formula CnH2n+2.
- differ by CH2 in the Chemical formula showing the actual number of atoms of each element in a molecule. of neighbouring compounds
- show a gradual variation in A description of the appearance of a substance or how it acts without involving chemical reactions. For example, state, melting point, conductivity, etc.
- have similar chemical properties
The table shows four alkanes, their molecular formula, displayed formula and ball-and-stick model diagram.
General formula
The formula of any alkane can be worked out using the general formula CnH2n+2 where n = the number of carbon atoms.
For example, for a hydrocarbon with ten carbon atoms:
- n = 10 and 2n+2 = 22
- the formula is C10H22
Question
Work out the formula for a hydrocarbon molecule with 6 carbon atoms.
C6H14