Carbon: Hydrocarbons-Alkanes, Alkenes, and Alkynes

We all know that almost every living organism is made up of carbon. Even the everyday necessities such as foods, clothes, medicines, books, etc., are made up of carbon. Therefore, carbon has great importance in our lives.

Hydrocarbon is an organic molecule (complex molecules made up of bonded carbon atoms). It comprises both carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). There are a variety of hydrocarbons in nature. They are present in fossil fuels, trees, and plants. A detailed study of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon structure is covered in this article.

Hydrocarbons

The term ‘hydrocarbon’ itself explains that it comprises hydrogen and carbon atoms. In other words, we can say that hydrocarbons are formed when a group of compounds that entirely consist of carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms comes together.

Just like carbon, hydrocarbons are also used in our everyday lives. They are used in fuels, natural gas, plants, animals, fossil fuels, plastics, etc. Other than these, hydrocarbons have many applications in our lives.

Hydrocarbons can be in any form, that is, liquid, solid, gaseous, waxes, polymers, etc. These hydrocarbons can undergo three immediate reactions: addition reaction (alkenes and alkynes), substitution reaction (alkanes), and combustion.

Hydrocarbon Structure

The hydrocarbons are structured and classified based on bonds between hydrogen and carbon atoms. These factors are classified into three main categories – alkanes, alkynes, and alkenes.

Alkanes

They are also called paraffin and can be recognized by ‘ane’ as a suffix. The organic compounds consisting of single-bonded carbon and hydrogen atoms are called alkanes. In short, alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons that do not involve any other functional groups. Alkanes show chain isomerism. The general chemical formula for alkanes can be derived as,

CnH2n+2

where n is the number of atoms

Alkanes can be further subdivided into three groups as follows:

• Linear straight-chain alkanes include carbons bonded together in a chain-like structure.
• Branched alkanes are formed by adding alkyl groups to the linear straight-chain alkanes.
• Cycloalkanes are also known as cyclic alkanes. These are single-bonded hydrocarbons that form a ring or loop.

Alkanes are essential constituents of gasoline and lubricating oils. As they don’t include any double or triple compounds, they are highly reactive in organic chemistry and are widely used there.

Alkenes

They are often called olefin and are recognized by the ‘ene’ suffix. These are unsaturated hydrocarbons that contain one or more carbon-carbon double bonds. The only difference between alkanes and alkenes is that alkenes consist of double-bonded carbons instead of a single bond. Hence, it reduces the number of hydrogen atoms per carbon atom. Alkenes show structural isomerism, as well as geometrical isomerism.

The chemical formula for alkenes can be derived as,

CnH2n

There are many different applications of alkenes in the manufacturing industry. Mainly, they are used in synthesising lacquers, detergents, alcohols, plastics, and fuels. Alkenes have considerable importance in creating plastics and plastic products. Along with this, alkenes are also used for artificially ripening the fruits.

Alkynes

 They are also unsaturated hydrocarbons like alkenes. It is an organic compound that contains at least one triple bonded carbon-carbon atom. Alkyne hydrocarbons are traditionally called acetylenes and are recognized using the ‘yne’ suffix. These triple bonds, hence formed, are powerful. Alkynes show functional isomerism. The general chemical formula for alkyne compounds can be derived as,

CnH2n-2

Alkyne hydrocarbons create different organic compounds, organic solvents, polymers, etc. It also has a wide range of applications such as rocket fuels, portable lightning, cutting, welding, chemical production, manufacturing industries, etc.

Hydrocarbon Examples

Few hydrocarbon examples with their IUPAC names classified as alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes are given below:

 Conclusion

Hydrocarbons are organic molecules that entirely include just hydrogen and carbon atoms. It can be found in crude oil, natural gas, and coal and is used as an energy source, for example, gasoline and jet fuel. These hydrocarbons are further classified as alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes based on their bonding variations.

Alkanes are single carbon-carbon bonded hydrocarbon atoms, whereas alkenes and alkynes are double and triple carbon-carbon bonded hydrocarbon atoms. These have a wide range of applications in the manufacturing and chemical industries. Some common examples of hydrocarbon atoms are methane, ethane, etc.