3.9 Hydrocarbons Flashcards
What is a homologous series?
A homologous series is a family of molecules which share the same general formula and functional group. This means that they share similar chemical properties.
What is a hydrocarbon?
Any compound thats formed from carbon and hydrogen only.
What type of bond are the atoms in alkanes held together by?
Simple covalent bonds
What is the formula for alkanes?
Cn H2n+2
What are the first four alkanes?
- Methane
- Ethane
- Propene
- Butane
What happens to the carbon and hydrogen in complete combustion?
They are both oxidised
Why are carbon-based compounds used as fuels?
Due to the amount of energy released when they combust completely.
What are isomers?
Isomers are molecules that have the same molecular formula, but different structural formulas; this means they are made of the same atoms, but the atoms are arranged differently.
Organic chemistry is about molecules that contain which element?
Carbon
What are alkanes? (3)
- Alkanes are the simplest homologous series you can get. The atoms in alkanes are held together by single covalent bonds.
- They have the general formula Cn H2n+2.
- Alkanes are hydrocarbons - compounds containing only hydrogen and carbon atoms.
An alkane only has single covalent bonds. There are no double bonds or triple bonds. What is another way to describe hydrocarbons with only single bonds?
Saturated
