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Chapter 11: Problem 3

What do "saturated" and "unsaturated" mean when applied to hydrocarbons? Give examples of a saturated hydrocarbon and an unsaturated hydrocarbon.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Saturated hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons where all the carbon-carbon bonds are single and hold maximum hydrogen atoms, like methane. Unsaturated hydrocarbons contain at least one carbon-carbon double or triple bond and don't hold the maximum number of hydrogen atoms, like ethene.

Step by step solution

01

Define 'Saturated' and 'Unsaturated'

Saturated hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons in which all the carbon-carbon bonds are single bonds, meaning they are holding the maximum number of hydrogen atoms they can. Unsaturated hydrocarbons, on the other hand, contain at least one carbon-carbon double or triple bond, meaning they are not holding the maximum number of hydrogen atoms because these bonds occupy a place where hydrogen atoms could be attached.
02

Example of Saturated Hydrocarbon

An example of a saturated hydrocarbon is methane (\(CH_4\)). Here, the carbon atom forms single bonds with four hydrogen atoms. Each hydrogen atom is bonded to the carbon atom, filling all its available bonding sites. As a result, methane is a saturated hydrocarbon because all its carbons have only single bonds and the molecule carries the maximum number of hydrogen atoms.
03

Example of Unsaturated Hydrocarbon

Ethene (\(C_2H_4\)) is an example of an unsaturated hydrocarbon. It has a carbon-carbon double bond, and each carbon is also bonded to two hydrogen atoms. Ethene doesn't contain the maximum number of hydrogen atoms due to the presence of this double bond - therefore, it is unsaturated.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

An alcohol was converted to a carboxylic acid with acidic potassium dichromate. A \(4.46-\mathrm{g}\) sample of the acid was added to \(50.0 \mathrm{~mL}\) of \(2.27 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{NaOH}\) and the excess \(\mathrm{NaOH}\) required \(28.7 \mathrm{~mL}\) of \(1.86 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{HCl}\) for neutralization. What is the molecular formula of the alcohol?

Suggest two chemical tests that would help you distinguish between these two compounds: (a) \(\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{CH}_{3}\) (b) \(\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{CH}=\mathrm{CH}_{2}\)

Why is it that alkanes and alkynes, unlike alkenes, have no geometric isomers?

Octane number is assigned to gasoline to indicate the tendency of "knocking" in the automobile's engine. The higher the octane number, the more smoothly the fuel will burn without knocking. Branched-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons have higher octane numbers than straight-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons, and aromatic hydrocarbons have the highest octane numbers. (a) Arrange these compounds in the order of decreasing octane numbers: \(2,2,4-\) trimethylpentane, toluene (methylbenzene), \(n\) -heptane, and 2 -methylhexane. (b) Oil refineries carry out catalytic reforming in which a straight-chain hydrocarbon, in the presence of a catalyst, is converted to an aromatic molecule and a useful by-product. Write an equation for the conversion from \(n\) -heptane to toluene. (c) Until 2000 , tert-butylmethyl ether had been widely used as an antiknocking agent to enhance the octane number of gasoline. Write the structural formula of the compound.

Explain why carbon is able to form so many more compounds than most other elements.
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