Hydrocarbons are organic compounds that are made of only hydrogen and carbon atoms. They are found in many places, including crude oil and natural gas. Learn the different forms of these simple, yet varied, organic compounds.
Definition
A hydrocarbon is an organic compound made of nothing more than carbons and hydrogens. It is possible for double or triple bonds to form between carbon atoms and even for structures, such as rings, to form.
Saturated hydrocarbons have as many hydrogen atoms as possible attached to every carbon. For carbons on the end of a molecular chain, three can be attached. For carbons in the middle of a chain or a ring, two can be attached. For a carbon atom all by itself, four hydrogen atoms can be attached. Saturated hydrocarbons have only single bonds between adjacent carbon atoms.
Unsaturated hydrocarbons have double and/or triple bonds between some of the carbon atoms.
Aliphatic Hydrocarbons
Aliphatic hydrocarbons are compounds of hydrogen and carbon that do not contain benzene rings. We'll discuss compounds with benzene rings later in this lesson. Aliphatic hydrocarbons tend to be flammable. There are several types of aliphatic hydrocarbons: alkanes, alkenes, alkynes and alkenynes.
Let's start with alkanes and cycloalkanes.Alkanes are linear, or branching, compounds that are made of varying numbers of carbon atoms that are all saturated with hydrogen atoms. The formula for an alkane is CnH(2n+2). This means that the number of hydrogen atoms equals twice the number of carbon atoms, plus two.
Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon possible. It is released as a gas from decomposing bodies and from the intestinal tracts of many animals. Its formula is CH4. Amethyl group, with the formula CH3, has one free bond to join something else.
Methane, the simplest hydrocarbon, along with its group form.