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Hydrocarbons can be described as organic compounds solely made up of two major kinds of atoms. These include carbons and hydrogen. Generally, these are colourless gases with nearly no odour. They are classified into four major parts: alkenes, alkanes, alkynes, and aromatics. Hydrocarbons are classified not just on the basis of their origin but structure as well. This article discusses the meaning and types of hydrocarbons. It also covers some examples to convey the importance of the types of hydrocarbons notes.
A Brief Overview of Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons coming from the class of the organic chemical compounds are entirely made up of two major elements called hydrogen and carbon. The carbon atoms help to join them closely to form the compound framework, whereas the hydrogen attaches them to multiple configurations.
Hydrocarbons are the principal constituents of natural gas and petroleum and serve as the lubricant and fuel for the production of fibres, solvents, explosives, plastics, rubber, as well as industrial chemicals.
Based on their types, hydrocarbons may possess simple or complex structures. Mainly, these are further classified into four major parts:
- Alkenes
- Alkanes
- Alkynes
- Aromatics
The importance of the types of hydrocarbons is seen in their various applications. Several hydrocarbons, such as propane and butane, are used for commercial fuel purposes such as LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas).
Benzene, another important aromatic hydrocarbon, is a raw material to make synthetic drugs. Another type of hydrocarbon called carotene is an organic pigment commonly found in carrots.
Types of Hydrocarbons
There are six types of Hydrocarbons:
Saturated Hydrocarbons
In simple terms, saturated hydrocarbons are those hydrocarbons in which every carbon-carbon bond is a single bond. Saturated hydrocarbons are the hydrocarbons where all the carbon atoms are closely bonded to the other four atoms. Also, these are saturated, which means no carbon-carbon multiple bonds is present in these particular organic compounds.
In saturated hydrocarbons, the carbon-carbon atoms along with the carbon-hydrogen atoms are closely held together by a single bond, which is the easiest hydrocarbon. Such hydrocarbons do not have either double or triple bonds.
Unsaturated Hydrocarbons
Unlike saturated hydrocarbons, unsaturated hydrocarbons are referred to as organic compounds which are solely made of hydrogen and carbon atoms. They consist of a triple and double bond between the two adjacent carbon atoms. In unsaturated hydrocarbons, they consist of single, double, and even triple bonds between the carbon-carbon atoms.
The triple-bonded compounds are referred to as alkynes, whereas the double-bonded compounds are referred to as alkenes. CnH2n-2 is the general formula of alkynes and CnH2n is the formula for alkenes.
Comparison between saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons:
Saturated Hydrocarbon | Unsaturated Hydrocarbon |
In saturated hydrocarbons, all the carbon atoms are sp3 hybridised. | In unsaturated hydrocarbons, all the carbon atoms are sp2 or sp hybridised. |
As compared to unsaturated hydrocarbons, saturated hydrocarbons have more hydrogen atoms. | As compared to saturated hydrocarbons, unsaturated hydrocarbons have fewer hydrogen atoms. |
Common examples of saturated hydrocarbons are alkanes and cycloalkanes. | Common examples of unsaturated hydrocarbons are alkynes, aromatic hydrocarbons, and alkenes. |
Saturated hydrocarbons possess low chemical reactivity. | Unsaturated hydrocarbons possess relatively high chemical reactivity. |
Saturated hydrocarbons burn with a blue flame. | Unsaturated hydrocarbons burn with a sooty flame. |
Cycloalkanes
Cycloalkanes are one type of hydrocarbons that possess either one or more carbon rings. The hydrogen atoms are closely attached to these carbon rings. This ring is formed because of the saturated nature of cycloalkanes. They mainly have three alkane compounds that form the ring.
Some common examples of cycloalkanes are cyclohexane, cycloheptane, cyclopentane, Cyclobutane, cyclooctane, etc.
Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Also known as arenes, aromatic hydrocarbons are compounds with at least one carbon ring. The aromatic compounds are chemical compounds that satisfy Huckel’s rule. They consist of planar molecules with conjugation in the ring format.
These compounds do not have a single or double molecular bond, and instead, they have the company of pi-electron clouds in the delocalisation state. Aromatic hydrocarbons are the primary example of aromatic compounds bonding with the pi-electrons cloud. In aromatic hydrocarbons, many elements like benzene and toluene form the sigma bond with planar ring conjugation.
Aliphatic Hydrocarbons
Aliphatic hydrocarbons have completely straight chain structures with no carbon rings in them. They consist of carbon and hydrogen atoms linked in chains through single, triple, or double bonds. At times, these chains may appear in non-aromatic structures.
Alicyclic Hydrocarbons
Alicyclic hydrocarbons are another type of hydrocarbon with a ring structure. sp, sp2 or sp3 can be the carbon atoms. It is common to see naturally occurring alicyclic hydrocarbons.
Conclusion
With this, we come to an end of our notes on the types of hydrocarbons notes. As the name suggests, hydrocarbons are a group of two chemical compounds: carbon (C) and hydrogen (H).
Hydrocarbons are further classified into several subparts and divided into six major parts. These include saturated hydrocarbons, unsaturated hydrocarbons, cycloalkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, and alicyclic hydrocarbons. Each of these is different, and so are their formulas.
