Question 4

There are 2 unlabeled bottles of chemicals in laboratory in which one of the bottles is
pentane and the other one is pentene. Suggest three chemical tests that can help you to
determine which of the two bottles is alkane and alkene. (10 marks)
Pentane
Test 1
Pentanes are relatively inexpensive and are the most volatile alkanes that are liquid at room
temperature, so they are often used in the laboratory as solvents that can be conveniently
evaporated.
The boiling points of the pentane isomers range from about 9 to 36 C. As is the case for
other alkanes, the more branched isomers tend to have lower boiling points.
Test 2
However, because of their nonpolarity and lack of functionality, they can only dissolve nonpolar and alkyl-rich compounds.
The same trend normally holds for the melting points of alkane isomers, and indeed that of
isopentane is 30 C lower than that of n-pentane. However, the melting point of neopentane,
the most heavily branched of the three, is 100 C higher that of isopentane. The anomalously
high melting point of neopentane has been attributed to the better solid-state packing assumed
to be possible with its tetrahedral molecule; but this explanation has been challenged on
account of it having a lower density than the other two isomers.
Test 3
Pentanes are miscible with most common nonpolar solvents such
as chlorocarbons, aromatics, and ethers. They are also often used in liquid chromatography.
The branched isomers are more stable (have lower heat of formation and heat of combustion)
than normal pentane. The difference is 1.8 kcal/mol for isopentane, and 5 kcal/mol for
neopentane
Pentene
Test 1
Pentene refers to all the alkenes with chemical formula C5H10.
There are a total of six different compounds in this class, differing from each other by
whether the carbon atoms are attached linearly or in a branched structure, and whether the
double bond has a cis or trans form.

Test 2
Pentene is an alpha-olefin. Most often 1-pentene is made as a byproduct
ofcatalytic or thermal cracking of petroleum, or during production
of ethylene andpropylene via thermal cracking of hydrocarbon fractions. It is rarely isolated
as a separate compound. Instead, it is most often blended into gasoline or, in a mixture with
other hydrocarbons, alkylated with isobutane to make gasoline.
Test 3
Properties
Molecular formula C5H10
Molar mass 70.13 g mol1
Density 0.64 g/cm3 (1-pentene)
Melting point -165.2 C (1-pentene)
Boiling point 30 C (1-pentene)