Alicyclic hydrocarbons analysis

Structure A typical alicyclic hydrocarbon. It exists in two modifications called the boat and the chair, as shown. This is due to slight distortion of the bond angles in accordance with the modified version of Baeyer s strain theory. Cyclohexane has been studied extensively on a theoretical basis in a branch of advanced chemistry called conformational analysis. See conformation. 

Mass spectral analysis of the municipal refuse-derived oil ( ) identified only two long chain fatty acids with certainty however, not more than traces of aromatics were determined to be present. The manure-derived oil was found to be largely alicyclic hydrocarbon but contained heterocyclic nitrogen and alkyl phenollcs ( ). These claims of the saturated hydrocarbon nature of the oil products are at odds with the reported elemental analyses (see Table I). The low hydrogen to carbon ratios dictate that the oil products must contain a large fraction of aromatic or, at least, highly unsaturated compounds. 

A constant and recurrent theme in the study of metal-catalysed hydrocarbon transformations has been the complicating role of carbonaceous deposits, which are recognised as forms of the reactants that are dehydrogenated and form multiple bonds to the surface to an extent depending critically on temperature and hydrogen pressure. Analysis of the behaviour of alkanes and alicyclics has led to the conclusion that such species are inimical to the reactions of the latter, but are that the former may still be reactive in their presence and may even require their participation. This of course is not a new idea, but it still needs quantitative evaluation. 

Conformational analysis of acyclic and alicyclic saturated hydrocarbons... 

Conformational analysis of acyclic and alicyclic saturated hydrocarbons 121 TABLE 8. Barriers (kcal mol" to ring inversion of polymethylcyclohexanes... 

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