Hydrocarbon and Its Types

What are hydrocarbons? State its types.

Hydrocarbons and Its Types

A compound having carbon ( C ) and hydrogen (H) as its main components is known as a hydrocarbon.

Hydrocarbons are:

· Organic compounds

· Can be classified based on the number of bonds – saturated and unsaturated

· Can be classified as an alkane, an alkene, alkyne

· These have a varied nature of melting and boiling points

· These are, at times, gaseous

· These generally have weak odors

Classification:

[A] SATURATED HYDROCARBONS-

These are composed of only single bonds. Example- alkanes

1. Alkanes-

· These are simple hydrocarbons containing single bonds between adjacent carbons (C–C)

· The compounds are sp³ hybridized

· These are the simplest hydrocarbons

· The general formula of alkanes is – CnH(2n+2) ; where n is the number of carbons

[B] UNSATURATED HYDROCARBONS-

Compounds having one or more double or triple bonds between the adjacent carbon atoms.

1. Alkenes-

· These contain at least one double bond

· They are sp²-hybridized

· Their general formula is – CnH2n

· Example- butene, ethene, propene

2. Alkynes-

· These contain at least one triple bond

· They are sp hybridized

· Their general formula is – CnH2n-2

· Example- ethyne, propyne

[C] CYCLO HYDROCARBONS

These are ring compounds, i.e, they contain one or more rings of carbon. The hydrogen is also attached to the rings through carbon atoms.

Example- cyclopropane

[D] AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS:

· Unsaturated hydrocarbons containing at least one aromatic ring structure.

· These are also known as arenes

· The simplest aromatic hydrocarbon is benzene

This was the classification of hydrocarbons. I hope this helps you.

– Written by Manpreet