A Guide to Alkanes: Definition, Structure, and Naming

What are hydrocarbons in which carbon atoms are connected by only single bonds in straight chains or branches?

The hydrocarbons in which carbon atoms are connected by only single bonds in straight chains or branches are called alkanes

The hydrocarbons in which carbon atoms are connected by only single bonds in straight chains or branches are called alkanes. Alkanes are a type of saturated hydrocarbon because each carbon atom in the chain is bonded to the maximum number of hydrogen atoms, thus “saturating” the molecule.

In alkanes, the carbon atoms are arranged in a continuous unbranched chain, referred to as a straight chain or a linear chain. For example, methane (CH4) is the simplest alkane with one carbon atom, and each subsequent alkane has an additional carbon atom in the chain, such as ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10), and so on.

However, alkanes can also have branching, where additional carbon chains are attached to the main carbon chain. In this case, they are referred to as branched chain alkanes. Branched chain alkanes have the same molecular formula as straight chain alkanes but have a different structure due to the branching. For example, isobutane (C4H10) is a branched chain alkane with a methyl (CH3) group attached to the second carbon atom in the main chain.

The naming of alkanes follows a systematic nomenclature system called IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) rules. In the IUPAC system, the names of alkanes indicate the number of carbon atoms in the main chain by using prefixes such as meth-, eth-, prop-, but-, pent-, etc.

In summary, alkanes are hydrocarbons with only single bonds between carbon atoms. They can either have a straight chain or branched chains, and their systematic naming follows the IUPAC rules based on the number of carbon atoms in the main chain.

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