Alkyl Groups:

Alkanes, Alkenes, Alkynes

A Report by: Christyl Marie Santos

 Recap
Carbon

• 6th element in the periodic table

• Needs 4 covalent bonds to be stable
• Can share 1 to 3 pairs of electrons with other carbon atoms
• Its uniqueness produces numerous organic compounds including all kinds of
chains and ring molecules
INTRODUCTION Aliphatic hydrocarbons
• saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons
• derived from the Greek word aleiphas,
meaning “fat”

1. Saturated hydrocarbons
 are hydrocarbons that contain only single
The simplest organic compounds
bonds between the carbon atoms (alkanes)
are Hydrocarbons (compounds
2.Unsaturated hydrocarbons
containing only carbon and
 are hydrocarbons that contain double or
hydrogen)
triple bonds between carbon atoms. (alkenes
and alkynes)
Alkanes
 These are the simplest hydrocarbons
 also called paraffins
 Known as saturated hydrocarbons
 It only contain single bonds
General formula:
Functions:
CnH2n+2
• Used extensively as fuels for heating, cooking,
where n is the number of
and transportation
Carbon atoms
• Used in the production of plastics, solvents, and
other chemicals
Examples: Propane and butane are found within
liquid petroleum gas
Importance of Alkanes

• Energy Production: Alkanes are used as fuels in a wide

range of applications, from powering automobiles to
generating electricity
• Industrial Applications: Alkanes are important raw materials
for the production of chemicals such as plastics, solvents,
and detergents
• Agriculture: Alkanes are used in agriculture as pesticides
and herbicides
 • Expanded structural
formula

• Condensed
structural formula

• Molecular formula
C2H6 C3H8
straight-chain alkanes or normal (n) alkanes - Compounds whose carbons are
connected in a row

Branched-chain alkanes - compounds with branched carbon chains

Structure and Nomenclature

International Union of Pure and Applied

Chemistry system (IUPAC)

 used for the naming of organic

compounds
 the name should end with the last
syllable of the family or group where
it belongs
Example: Butane

Condensed Structural Formula:

Alkyl Group
 the partial structure that remains when a hydrogen atom is
removed from an alkane
 replacing the -ane suffix of the parent alkane with a -yl suffix
 it is commonly represented by the symbol R
Alkenes
 also called olefins
 Known as unsaturated hydrocarbons
 It contains at least one carbon-to-carbon
double bond.
General formula:
 ethene, also known as ethylene, is the simplest
alkene
CnH2n
Functions:
where n is the number of
Carbon atoms
• starting material for the synthesis of a wide
range of organic compounds
• used in the manufacture of polymers, solvents,
and various other industrial chemicals.
Examples: ethylene hastens the ripening process
of fruits
Importance of Alkenes

• Alkenes can undergo polymerization to form long chains of

repeating units. Example: ethene can be polymerize to form
polyethylene
• Alkenes can be used as starting materials for the synthesis
of various organic compounds, such as alcohols, aldehydes,
ketones, and carboxylic acids. Example: propene can be
used to synthesize propanol, propanal, and propanoic acid.
• Alkenes can be used as a fuel source. Example: ethene can
be used in the production of ethyl alcohol, which is used as a
biofuel
Structure and Nomenclature
Structure and Nomenclature

Example:

1 2 3 4
but-1-ene

4 3 1
2

pent-2-ene
Structure and Nomenclature

Example:

oct-3-ene

Condense structural formula:

Alkynes
 Known as unsaturated hydrocarbons
 It contains at least one carbon-to-carbon triple
bond.
 ethyne, also known as acetylene, is the simplest
General formula:
alkyne
CnH2n-2
Functions:
where n is the number of
• used as versatile building blocks for the
Carbon atoms
synthesis of a wide variety of organic
compounds, including pharmaceuticals,
polymers, and natural products
• act as ligands in coordination complexes
Importance of Alkynes

• Industrial applications (Ex. Acetylene)

• Making organic compounds
• Medical chemistry (Ex. Zucapsaicin, a
topical analgesic used to treat
osteoarthritis of the knee )
Structure and Nomenclature
Structure and Nomenclature

Example:

hept-2-yne Note: IUPAC system changed its

naming rules in 1993
Example:
Old name: 1-butene
New name: but-1-ene
Branched hydrocarbons

A chemical name typically has four parts in the IUPAC system of nomenclature:
 Branched-chain Alkanes
Steps:

1. Find the longest continuous carbon chain in the molecule and use the name of
that chain as the parent name.
2. Beginning at the end nearer of the first branch point, number each carbon
atom in the parent chain.
3. Name the parent chain.
4. Name the branch then attach it as a prefix of the parent chain
5. Assign a number, called a locant, to each substituent to specify its point of
attachment to the parent chain.
6. Write the name as a single word. Use hyphens or dashes to separate the
various prefixes and commas to separate numbers. If two or more different
side chains are present, cite them in alphabetical order. If two or more
identical side chains are present, use the appropriate multiplier prefixes di-,
tri-, tetra-, and so forth.
Example of branched-chain alkanes

2-Methylpentane
2,3-Dimethylbutane

3-Ethyl-2-methylhexane
 Branched-chain Alkenes and Alkynes
Steps:

1. Find the longest carbon chain that contains the double bond, and name the
parent name using the suffix –ene or -yne
2. Begin numbering at the end nearer the double or the triple bond.
3. Name the branch and number the substituents on the main chain according to
their position.
4. List the branch alphabetically. If more than one double bond is present, give
the position of each and use the appropriate multiplier suffi x -diene, -triene,-
tetraene, and so on.
5. In naming, first is the locant of the branch, next the name of the branch, then
the prefix of the parent chain, followed by locant of the double or triple bond,
then attach the suffix.
Example of branched-chain alkenes and alkynes

2-Methylhex-3-ene Parent chain: but-1,3-diene

Alkyl group attached: 2Methylbuta-1,3-diene
Drawing branched hydrocarbon structure from a name

Steps:
1. Look at the parent name and draw its carbon structure.
2. Find the substituents and place them on the proper carbons.
3. Finally, add hydrogens to complete the structure.

Example:
2,2,6,6-tetramethyloctane