Alkanes: Formula, Properties, and Structure

alkane formula

replace -e with -ol-if the alcohol is not the highest-priority functional group then it is named as a hydroxyl substituent (hydroxy-)-with 2 hydroxyl groups are called diols or glycols and indicated with the suffix -diol with the entire hydrocarbon name retained-Diols with hydroxyl groups on the same carbon are called geminal diols (also called hydrates but are not commonly seen because they spontaneously hydrate to produce carbonyl compounds) ; diols with hydroxyl groups on adjacent carbons are called vicinal diols

The general formula for alkanes is CnH2n+2, where n is the number of carbon atoms in the molecule. This means that for every carbon atom in the molecule, there are two hydrogen atoms plus two more hydrogen atoms. For example, methane (the simplest alkane) has one carbon atom, so its formula is CH4. Ethane has two carbon atoms, so its formula is C2H6. Propane has three carbon atoms, so its formula is C3H8, and so on. Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons, meaning that they have single bonds between all of the carbon atoms in the molecule.

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