All About Different Types Of Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons are organic substances that naturally occur in our environment and can be captured and burned to generate energy. Hydrocarbons are made up of only two elements: hydrogen and carbon, as their name suggests. To form the molecular structure, carbon atoms are usually surrounded by hydrogen atoms.

Hydrocarbons Sources

Carotenes, which are pigments found in carrots and green leaves, are a type of carotene found in trees and plants as well as fossil fuels.

A hydrocarbon polymer, a chainlike molecule made up of numerous units linked together, makes up more than 98 percent of natural crude rubber. The sorts of chemical bonds that connect the atoms of the constituent molecules influence the structure and chemistry of individual hydrocarbons.

Hydrocarbon Classification

On the basis of their sources and qualities, nineteenth-century chemists classed hydrocarbons as either aliphatic or aromatic. Aliphatic hydrocarbons (from the Greek aleiphar, “fat”) are hydrocarbons generated from the chemical breakdown of fats or oils. Aromatic hydrocarbons were a set of related chemicals formed by the chemical breakdown of certain pleasant-smelling plant extracts. In modern language, the labels aliphatic and aromatic are still used, but the substances they describe are differentiated by structure rather than origin.

Based on the types of bonds they include, alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes are the three primary groups of aliphatic hydrocarbons. Alkanes only have single bonds, but alkenes and alkynes each have a carbon-carbon double bond and a carbon-carbon triple bond. Aromatic hydrocarbons are those that are far more stable than their Lewis structures suggest; they have “special stability.” They are classed as either arenes, which have a benzene ring as a structural unit, or non benzenoid aromatic

hydrocarbons, which do not have a benzene ring as a structural unit but have unique stability.

Saturated hydrocarbons are alkanes, while unsaturated hydrocarbons are alkenes, alkynes, and aromatic hydrocarbons.

Aliphatic Hydrocarbon

Alkanes

Alkanes, or hydrocarbons with only one link, have molecular formulae that follow the general formula CnH2n+2. (where n is an integer). Each C—C and C—H connection is a sigma (σ)  bond because carbon is sp3 hybridised (three electron pairs are involved in bonding, generating a tetrahedral complex) (see chemical bonding). Methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), and propane (C3H8) are the first three members of the series, in order of increasing carbon atoms.

Alkenes

Alkenes, like alkanes, are pure hydrocarbons that contain no additional components. Alkenes have at least one carbon atom for every carbon double bond in their chain by definition. The chemical formula for alkenes is CnH2n, where C stands for carbon, H for hydrogen, and n stands for the number of carbon atoms.

Ethene (C2H4) and propene (C2H6) are the most common and least complex alkenes (C3H6). The double bond distinguishes an alkene from an alkane, and its exact location in the molecular chain can result in various bonding configurations.

Alkynes

Alkenes are genuine hydrocarbons, meaning they only contain hydrogen and carbon. They are distinguished from alkanes and alkenes by the presence of a triple bond between two carbon atoms. Alkynes have the chemical formula CH2n-2, where C denotes carbon, H denotes hydrogen, and n is the number of carbon atoms.

Ethyne (C2H2), propyne (C3H4), and butyne (C3H4) are the three most prevalent and least complex alkynes (C4H6). The suffix -yne is shared by all alkynes, making them easily distinguishable from other forms of hydrocarbons.

Aromatic Compounds 

Aromatic compounds, generally known as “mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,” are organic chemicals. Benzene is the parent compound. Heteroarenes are linked because one of the heteroatoms oxygen, nitrogen, or sulphur replaces one of the carbon atoms in the CH group. Furan, a heterocyclic compound with a five-membered ring having a single oxygen atom, and pyridine, a heterocyclic molecule with a six-membered ring containing one nitrogen atom, are examples of non-benzene compounds exhibiting aromatic qualities.

Aromatic Hydrocarbons’ General Properties

• They have a strong scent.
• The carbon-to-hydrogen ratio is extremely high.
• Because of the high carbon–hydrogen ratio, they produce a bright sooty yellow flame.
• They are subjected to electrophilic and nucleophilic aromatic substitutions.

Uses

• Aromatic hydrocarbons’ characteristics are reflected in their applications. Aromatic hydrocarbons are commonly used as a non-polar solvent for other compounds. As a result, aromatic hydrocarbons can be found in gasoline, paints, lacquers, and other products. Their low reactivity makes them ideal for use as a solvent. Toluene, for example, is an aromatic molecule that is utilised in paint thinners as a solvent.
• The aromatic molecule benzene is utilised in the creation of high-octane fuels as well as other compounds like insecticides, detergents, and dyes. Benzene was previously a common ingredient in gasoline, but its use has been limited to high-octane fuels because it was discovered to be carcinogenic in humans.

Conclusion

Because most aliphatic molecules are flammable, hydrocarbons can be used as fuel, such as methane in Bunsen burners and as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and ethyne (acetylene) in welding.

Due to their resonance structures, aromatic hydrocarbons are nonpolar and relatively non-reactive, making them ideal solvents. They’re utilised in the production of fuels, insecticides, lacquers, paints, and detergents, among other things.