hydrocarbon

(noun)

A compound consisting only of carbon and hydrogen atoms.

Related Terms

Examples of hydrocarbon in the following topics:

  • Introduction to Hydrocarbons

    • Hydrocarbons are the simplest class of organic compounds, consisting solely of hydrogen and carbon.
    • Hydrocarbons are the simplest class of organic compounds and are composed solely of hydrogen and carbon.
    • This class can be further divided into two groups: aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons.
    • Aromatic hydrocarbons, or arenes, which contain a benzene ring, were originally named for their pleasant odors.
    • The study of hydrocarbons is particularly important to the fields of chemical and petroleum engineering, as a variety of hydrocarbons can be found in crude oil.

  • Alkenes & Alkynes

    • Alkenes and alkynes are hydrocarbons which respectively have carbon-carbon double bond and carbon-carbon triple bond functional groups.
    • The molecular formulas of these unsaturated hydrocarbons reflect the multiple bonding of the functional groups:
    • As noted earlier in the Analysis of Molecular Formulas section, the molecular formula of a hydrocarbon provides information about the possible structural types it may represent.

  • A Structure Formula Relationship

    • Recall that the molecular formula of a hydrocarbon (CnHm) provides information about the number of rings and/or double bonds that must be present in its structural formula.
    • This molecular formula analysis may be extended beyond hydrocarbons by a few simple corrections.

  • Cycloalkanes

    • Cycloalkanes are saturated hydrocarbons that contain a ring in their carbon backbones.
    • Cycloalkanes are saturated hydrocarbons that contain a ring in their carbon backbones.
    • However, unlike linear hydrocarbons, which can achieve a more stable tetrahedral configuration around each carbon atom in the backbone, the bond angles in cycloalkanes are constrained, producing ring strain.
    • Hydrocarbons with two rings are called bicyclic, and well-known examples are norbornane and decalin.

  • Drawing Hydrocarbon Structures

    • Hydrocarbon structures can be drawn from the IUPAC names of chemical compounds by starting with the carbon backbone and adding substituents.
    • Hydrocarbons can be drawn in several equally valid ways.
    • To draw a hydrocarbon using the bond line method, place your pencil on a piece of paper.
    • Now the hydrocarbon represented by the short, straight line is two carbon atoms in length; it has two ends.
    • When including an alkene bond in your hydrocarbon structure, aim for 120 degree bond angles about each doubly-bonded carbon.

  • Analysis of Molecular Formulas

    • For compounds of carbon and hydrogen (hydrocarbons) the maximum number of hydrogen atoms that can be bonded to n carbons is 2n + 2 (n is an integer).
    • The origin of this formula is evident by considering a hydrocarbon made up of a chain of carbon atoms.
    • Consider a hydrocarbon with a molecular structure consisting of a simple chain of four carbon atoms, CH3CH2CH2CH3.
    • From the above discussion and examples it should be clear that the molecular formula of a hydrocarbon (CnHm) provides information about the number of rings and/or double bonds that must be present in its structural formula.

  • Alkanes

    • Alkanes are relatively unreactive hydrocarbons that contain no double or triple bonds in their carbon skeletons.
    • Alkanes, also called paraffins, are a class of hydrocarbons that are fully saturated with hydrogen.
    • This is in contrast to alkenes and alkynes, which contain double and triple bonds and are known as unsaturated hydrocarbons.
    • Alkanes are named with the suffix "-ane" following the hydrocarbon prefixes.

  • Waxes

    • Natural waxes are often mixtures of such esters, and may also contain hydrocarbons.

  • Antiaromaticity

    • The simple C8H6 hydrocarbon pentalene does not exist as a stable compound, and its hexaphenyl derivative is air sensitive.
    • On the other hand, azulene is a stable 10-π-electron hydrocarbon that incorporates structural features of both pentalene and heptalene.

  • Alkanes

    • Hydrocarbons having no double or triple bond functional groups are classified as alkanes or cycloalkanes, depending on whether the carbon atoms of the molecule are arranged only in chains or also in rings.
    • Although these hydrocarbons have no functional groups, they constitute the framework on which functional groups are located in other classes of compounds, and provide an ideal starting point for studying and naming organic compounds.
    • This is also the highest possible H/C ratio for a stable hydrocarbon.