Alkane isomers

The strength of the London forces between alkane molecules increases as the molar mass of the molecules increases hydrocarbons with unbranched chains pack together more closely than their branched isomers. Alkanes are not very reactive. but they do undergo oxidation (combustion) and substitution reactions. 

Two or more compounds with the same molecular formula but different properties are called isomers. Isomers with different arrangements of bonded atoms are constitutional (or structural) isomers alkanes with the same number of C atoms but different skeletons are examples. The smallest alkane to exhibit constitutional isomerism has four C atoms two different compounds have the formula C4H10, as shown in Table 15.3 on the next page. The unbranched one is butane (common name, /t-butane n- stands for normal, or having a straight chain), and the other is 2-methylpropane (common name, i obutane). Similarly, three compounds... 

Open-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons constitute alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, and their isomers. Alkanes have the general formula C H2 +2, where n is the number of carbon atoms in the molecnles, snch as methane, propane, n-pentane, and isooctane. Alkenes or olefins are nnsaturated compounds, characterized by one or more double bonds between the carbon atoms. Their general formula is C H2 . Examples are ethylene, 1-butene, and... 

Q-type PLOT Dinylbenzene-polyst5n ene copolymer gases and voltahle organics, polar solvents, alcohols, nonpolar hydrocarbons, C1-C3 isomers, alkanes to Cl2, carbon dioxide, methane, air-CO, water, sulfur compounds, solvents. 

Methane is the only alkane of molecular formula CH4 ethane the only one that is C2H6 and propane the only one that is C3Hj Beginning with C4H10 however constitutional isomers (Section 1 8) are possible two alkanes have this particular molecular formula In one called n butane, four carbons are joined m a continuous chain The nmn butane stands for normal and means that the carbon chain is unbranched The second isomer has a branched carbon chain and is called isobutane... 

Three isomeric alkanes have the molecular formula C5H12 The unbranched isomer is as we have seen n pentane The isomer with a single methyl branch is called isopen tane The third isomer has a three carbon chain with two methyl branches It is called neopentane... 

Table 2 1 presents the number of possible alkane isomers as a function of the num ber of carbon atoms they contain As the table shows the number of isomers increases enormously with the number of carbon atoms and raises two important questions... 

In Problem 2 5 you were asked to write structural formulas for the five isomeric alkanes of molecular formula C6H14 In the next section you will see how the lUPAC rules generate a unique name for each isomer... 

We can present and illustrate the most important of the lUPAC rules for alkane nomen clature by naming the five C6H14 isomers By definition (Table 2 2) the unbranched 14 isomer is hexane... 

The lUPAC rules name branched alkanes as substituted derivatives of the unbranched alkanes listed in Table 2 2 Consider the CgHi4 isomer represented by the structure... 

As noted earlier m this section branched alkanes have lower boiling points than their unbranched isomers Isomers have of course the same number of atoms and elec Irons but a molecule of a branched alkane has a smaller surface area than an unbranched one The extended shape of an unbranched alkane permits more points of contact for mtermolecular associations Compare the boiling points of pentane and its isomers... 

Table 2 3 lists the heats of combustion of several alkanes Unbranched alkanes have slightly higher heats of combustion than their 2 methyl branched isomers but the most important factor is the number of carbons The unbranched alkanes and the 2 methyl branched alkanes constitute two separate homologous senes (see Section 2 9) m which there is a regular increase of about 653 kJ/mol (156 kcal/mol) m the heat of combustion for each additional CH2 group... 

Heats of combustion can be used to measure the relative stability of isomeric hydrocarbons They tell us not only which isomer is more stable than another but by how much Consider a group of C His alkanes... 

Alkanes and cycloalkanes are nonpolar and insoluble m water The forces of attraction between alkane molecules are induced dipole/induced dipole attractive forces The boiling points of alkanes increase as the number of carbon atoms increases Branched alkanes have lower boiling points than their unbranched isomers There is a limit to how closely two molecules can approach each other which is given by the sum of their van der Waals radii... 

The heat evolved on burning an alkane increases with the number of car bon atoms The relative stability of isomers may be determined by com paring their respective heats of combustion The more stable of two iso mers has the lower heat of combustion... 

We have seen in this chapter that among isomenc alkanes the unbranched isomer is the least stable and has the highest boiling point the most branched isomer is the most stable and has the lowest boiling point Does this mean that one alkane boils lower than another because it is more stable" Explain... 

Alkenes resemble alkanes m most of their physical properties The lower molecular weight alkenes through 4 are gases at room temperature and atmospheric pressure The dipole moments of most alkenes are quite small Among the 4 isomers 1 butene cis 2 butene and 2 methylpropene have dipole moments m the 0 3-05 D range trans 2 butene has no dipole moment Nevertheless we can learn some things about alkenes by looking at the effect of substituents on dipole moments... 

Butanes are naturally occurring alkane hydrocarbons that are produced primarily in association with natural gas processing and certain refinery operations such as catalytic cracking and catalytic reforming. The term butanes includes the two stmctural isomers, / -butane [106-97-8] CH2CH2CH2CH2, and isobutane [79-28-9], (CH2)2CHCH2 (2-methylpropane). 

Three significant, commercial processes for the production of amyl alcohols include separation from fusel oils, chlorination of C-5 alkanes with subsequent hydrolysis to produce a mixture of seven of the eight isomers (Pennsalt) (91), and a low pressure 0x0 process, or hydroformylation, of C-4 olefins followed by hydrogenation of the resultant C-5 aldehydes. 

By-Products. Almost all commercial manufacture of pyridine compounds involves the concomitant manufacture of various side products. Liquid- and vapor-phase synthesis of pyridines from ammonia and aldehydes or ketones produces pyridine or an alkylated pyridine as a primary product, as well as isomeric aLkylpyridines and higher substituted aLkylpyridines, along with their isomers. Furthermore, self-condensation of aldehydes and ketones can produce substituted ben2enes. Condensation of ammonia with the aldehydes can produce certain alkyl or unsaturated nitrile side products. Lasdy, self-condensation of the aldehydes and ketones, perhaps with reduction, can lead to alkanes and alkenes. 

Sulfonic acids may be hydrolytically cleaved, using high temperatures and pressures, to drive the reaction to completion. As would be expected, each sulfonic acid has its own unique hydrolytic desulfonation temperature. Lower alkane sulfonic acids possess excellent hydrolytic stability, as compared to aromatic sulfonic acids which ate readily hydrolyzed. Flydrolytic desulfonation finds use in the separation of isomers of xylene sulfonic acids and other substituted mono-, di-, and polysulfonic acids. 

With the five-carbon alkane, pentane, there are three ways to draw the structural formula of this compound with five carbon atoms and twelve hydrogen atoms. The isomers of normal pentane are isopentane and neopentane. The structural formulas of these compounds are illustrated in Table 2, while typical properties are given in Table 1. 

As in the alkanes, it is possible for carbon atoms to align themselves in different orders to form isomers. Not only is it possible for the carbon atoms to form branches which produce isomers, but it is also possible for the double bond to be situated between different carbon atoms in different compounds. This different position of the double bond also results in different structural formulas, which, of course, are isomers. Just as in the alkanes, isomers of the alkenes have different properties. The unsaturated hydrocarbons and their derivatives are more active chemically than the saturated hydrocarbons and their derivatives. 

FIGURE 2.12 Bolling points of unbranched alkanes and their 2-methyl-branched Isomers. (Temperatures In this text are expressed In degrees Celsius, °C. The SI unit of temperature Is the kelvin, K. To convert degrees Celsius to kelvins add 273.15.)... 

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