ALKANES

MARIBETH J. CUSAP
REPORTER
 Alkanes
Alkanes are aliphatic hydrocarbons that only
contain single bonds. Since each carbon is bonded
to the maximum possible number of atoms, alkanes
are described as being saturated compounds.
Alkanes vary by the repeated unit CH2, and have
the general formula CnH2n+2
Alkanes are structurally simple organic
compounds made up solely of carbon and
hydrogen.
Alkanes are typically referred to as saturated
hydrocarbons.
Hydrocarbon indicates that alkanes are made up
entirely of hydrogen and carbon.
Saturated indicates that these compounds contain
only single bonds.
Each carbon atom, in addition to being bonded to
other carbon atoms, is bonded to the maximum
number of hydrogen atoms (which saturate it).
Alkanes Are Nonpolar Compounds
The electronegativities of carbon and hydrogen are
so similar that when these two elements form
covalent bonds, the electrons are shared equally and
the bond is nonpolar.
Alkanes are composed solely of carbon and
hydrogen, so regardless of their shape, alkanes are
nonpolar.
The nonpolar nature of alkanes affects the behavior
of these compounds in aqueous systems. (Remember
that water is polar.)
 ALKANES
 Often called Paraffins
 General formula CnH2n+2 where n = 1 …
E.g. n = 1  CH4; n = 2  C2H6, etc.
 Straight
chain (normal) alkanes = carbon atoms connected to
each other to form a chain of carbon atoms:
H H H H H H H H H H
H C H H C C H H C C C H H C C C C H
H H H H H H H H H H
CH4 CH3CH3 CH3CH2CH3 CH3(CH2)2CH3

Methane Ethane Propane Butane

John A. Schreifels
Chemistry 212
Straight-chain alkanes are made up
of carbon atoms joined to one
another to form continuous,
unbranched chains of varying length.
Each compound is given a name that
is based on the number of carbon
atoms in its chain.
Condensed Structural Formulas
These show all the atoms in a molecule, but as few bonds as
possible.
They are not useful for drawing cycloalkanes.
The molecular formula shows only the number of each atom in the
molecule.
The Lewis structure shows complete connectivity—all atoms and all
bonds.
Naming Alkanes

Scientists use the “Prefix + Root + Suffix” method for

naming all organic chemicals. The root describes
how many carbons are in your main chain or
backbone. The suffix indicates what organic family
the molecule is in. The prefix describes the type,
number and location of any branches. The
naming rules for organics use alkanes as the base
molecule then add special rules for other families.
Use the following steps to name an alkane:

1. Find the main chain (longest consecutive chain of C’s).

Use the appropriate organic prefix for your root name (1 =
meth, 2 = eth, 3 = prop, 4 = but, 5 = pent, 6 = hex, 7 =
hept, 8 = oct, 9 = non, 10 = dec).

2. Determine your suffix based on family. Alkane = suffix

“ane”

3. Number the main chain. Start at the end that gives

branches the lowest numbers.
 Write the prefix by naming each branch as
an alkyl group (organic prefix for # of
carbons than “yl”), and placing a position
number in front. If there is more than one
type of branch, write them in alpha order. If
there is multiple of the same type of branch,
use a molecular prefix. Always put commas
between numbers, and hyphens between
numbers and letters.
Isomeric Alkanes:
The Butanes
C4H10
General formula for any butane
 Higher n-Alkanes
Pentane (C5H12) and Beyond
CnH2n+2
n>4
 CnH2n+2
CH3CH2CH2CH2CH3 n>4
n-Pentane

CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3
n-Hexane

CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3
n-Heptane
The C5H12 Isomers
 C5H12

CH3CH2CH2CH2CH3 (CH3)2CHCH2CH3
n-Pentane Isopentane

(CH3)4C

Neopentane
 HOW MANY ISOMERS?

The number of isomeric alkanes

increases as the number of carbons
increase.
There is no simple way to predict how
many isomers there are for a particular
molecular formula.
TABLE 2.3
NUMBER OF CONSTITUTIONALLY ISOMERIC ALKANES

CH4 1
C2H6 1
C3H8 1
C4H102
C5H123
C6H145
C7H169
TABLE 2.3
NUMBER OF CONSTITUTIONALLY ISOMERIC ALKANES

CH4 1 C8H18 18
C2H6 1 C9H20 35
C3 H 8 1 C10H22 75
C4H10 2 C15H32 4,347
C5H12 3 C20H42 366,319
C6H14 5 C40H8262,491,178,805,831
C7H16 9
How many isomers with the
composition
C6H6 can you draw?

C6H6 ISOMERS
 Physical Properties of
Alkanes and Cycloalkanes