Question 1

What are the five steps of hydrocarbon nomenclature?

Answer 1
1. Find and name the longest continuous carbon chain.
2. Identify and name groups attached to this chain.
3. Number the chain consecutively, starting at the end nearest a substituent group.
4. Designate the location of each substituent group by an appropriate number and name.
5. Assemble the name, listing groups in alphabetical order. The prefixes di, tri, tetra etc.,
used to designate several groups of the same kind, are not considered when alphabetizing.

Question 2
What is an empirical formula? Give an example.

Answer 2
The empirical formula of a chemical compound is the smallest possible whole-number
ratio of the atoms present in the compound. An empirical formula makes no reference to
isomerism, structure, or absolute number of atoms. The term empirical refers to the
process of elemental analysis, a technique of analytical chemistry used to determine the
relative percent composition of a pure chemical substance by element.

For example the empirical formula of a compound that is 48.38% carbon, 8.12%
hydrogen, and 53.38% oxygen by mass is as follows:-

The ratio of the moles of each element will provide the ratio of the atoms of each
element.

1. The mass of each element must be attained assuming that the overall mass for the
sample is 100 g since we are working with percentages.

Percentages are a ratio multiplied by 100 so the percentages must be converted

back to their decimal value before working with them.

(.4838) (100 g) = 48.38 g C

(.0812) (100 g) = 08.12 g H

(.5338) (100 g) = 53.38 g O

2. The mass of each element must be converted to moles using the atomic masses.

(48.38 g C) (1 mol/ 12.10 g C) = 4.028 mol C

(8.12 g H) (1 mol/ 1.008 g H) = 8.056 mol H

 (53.38 g O) (1 mol/ 16.00 g O) = 3.336 mol O

3. The ratio or the moles of each element must be found by dividing the number of
moles of each element by the smallest number of moles.

There are fewer moles of oxygen than any other element, so we will assume one
mole of oxygen to establish the ratios.

(3.336 mol O/ 3.336) = 1 mol O

(4.028 mol C/ 3.336) = 1.2 mol C

(8.056 mol H/ 3.336) = 2.4 mol H

4. The mole ratio must now be used to write the empirical formula.

The mole ratio did not turn out to be whole numbers. Since we cannot have partial
atoms in the empirical formula, a multiplication factor must be applied to get
whole numbers. In this case, 5 is the factor we need.

(1 mol O) (5) = 5 mol O

(1.2 mol C) (5) = 6 mol C

(2.4 mol H) (5) = 12 mol H

Now, the ratios are whole numbers, and the empirical formula is C6H12O5

( In the formula C6H12O5 , there are 6 carbon atoms,12 hydrogen atoms and 5
oxygen atoms.)

Question 3
What is a structural formula? Give an example.

Answer 3
A structural formula shows the arrangement of the atoms within the molecules as far as
which atoms are bonded to which and whether single, double or triple bonds are used.

For example, the structural formula of ethanoic acid CH3COOH is

Question 4
What is natural gas?

Answer 4
Natural gas is a colourless, odourless, combustible, gaseous mixture of simple
hydrocarbon compounds, usually found in deep underground reservoirs formed by porous
rock. Natural gas is a fossil fuel composed almost entirely of methane, but does contain
small amounts of other gases, including ethane, propane, butane etc.

Typical Composition of Natural Gas

Methane CH4 70-90%

Ethane C2H6 0-20%
Propane C3H8 0-20%
Butane C4H10 0-20%
Carbon Dioxide CO2 0-8%
Oxygen O2 0-0.2%
Nitrogen N2 0-5%
Hydrogen Sulphide H2S 0-5%
Rare gases A,He,Ne,Xe trace

Question 5
(a) What are gas hydrates?
(b) Under what conditions are they formed.
(c) Where can they be found?

Answer 5 (a)
A gas hydrate is an ice-like crystalline solid; its building blocks consist of a gas molecule
surrounded by a cage of water molecules. Thus it is similar to ice, except that the
crystalline structure is stabilized by the guest gas molecule within the cage of water
molecules.

Answer 5 (b)
Gas hydrates form under high pressure and low temperatures when water is in contact
with gas molecules. Such conditions for hydrate formation are often found in pipelines
and are also generally encountered during the production of oil and/or gas, in particular
under deepwater conditions.

Answer 5 (c)
Gas hydrates are found in sub-oceanic sediments in the Polar Regions (shallow water)
and in continental slope sediments (deep water), where pressure and temperature
conditions combine to make it stable.

Beneath the ocean, gas hydrate exists where water depths exceed 300 to 500 meters
(depending on temperature), and it can occur within a layer of sediment as much as
~1000 meters thick directly beneath the sea floor; the base of the layer is limited by
increasing temperature. At high latitudes, it exists in association with permafrost.
Four regions of gas hydrate concentration have been mapped on the continental rise in the
offshore region between New Jersey and Georgia.

Off the southeastern United States, a small area (only 3000 km2) beneath a ridge formed
by rapidly-deposited sediments appears to contain a volume of methane in hydrate that is
equivalent to ~30 times the U.S. annual consumption of gas. This area is known as the
Blake Ridge. Significant quantities of naturally occurring gas hydrate also have been
detected in many regions of the Arctic, including Siberia, the Mackenzie River delta, and
the north slope of Alaska.