What is the general formula for alkanes?

CnH2n+2

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What is a hydrocarbon?

A compound made up of carbon and hydrogen only.

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Why are alkanes described as being saturated?

The carbon atoms in alkanes are joined together by single covalent bonds.

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Describe and explain the arrangement of bonds around each carbon atom in an alkane.

Each carbon atom in an alkane forms four single bonds, either with hydrogen atoms (C-H) or other carbon atoms (C-C). These bonds are arranged in a tetrahedral geometry around the central carbon atom, with bond angles of ≈109.5°.


The tetrahedral arrangement of the bonds is due to the equal repulsion between the bonding pairs of electrons.

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State and explain the effect of increasing chain length on the boiling point of alkanes.

As the chain length of alkanes increases, boiling point increases.


This is because the surface contact between molecules increases which leads to stronger induced dipole-dipole forces between molecles which require greater energy to overcome.

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State and explain the effect of branching on the boiling point of alkanes.

Branched alkanes generally have lower boiling points compared to straight-chain isomers.


This is because branched alkanes cannot pack as closely together which means there are fewer surface points of contact. This leads to weaker induced dipole-dipole forces which require less energy to overcome.

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What is the general formula of cycloalkanes?

CnH2n

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