Hydrocarbons

Different kinds of chemicals are all around us. These substances can be divided into organic and inorganic groups or carbonic and non-carbonic groups. Non-carbonic chemicals, also known as inorganic compounds, are derived from minerals, whereas carbonic compounds, also known as organic compounds, are derived from plant and animal sources. With the exception of its oxides, carbonates, bicarbonates, and carbides, all carbon compounds are classified as organic. Hydrocarbons are carbonic chemicals that are solely made of carbon and hydrogen.

Hydrocarbon

The elements of all flammable materials are carbon and hydrogen. Carbon and hydrogen combine to form hydrocarbons. In communities without hydroelectric power, kerosene lights are lit. In a similar vein, food is cooked using firewood. In laboratories, spirit lights are utilized as a heat source. When creating utensils, metal is heated and melted using charcoal. These flammable materials are all composed of carbon and hydrogen. These materials come from both plants and animals.

Combustible materials derived from plants and animals are referred to as organic compounds. Protein, hormones, carbohydrates, fats, enzymes, protoplasm, and other materials that are found in the human body are all examples of organic molecules.

Organic Compounds

Organic compounds are generally defined as those in which one carbon atom is covalently bound to another carbon atom or a hydrogen atom. In addition to hydrogen, other elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, halogens, sulfur, and phosphorus may also form covalent bonds with carbon. Despite having carbon atoms, CO₂, CO, HCO₃-, and CO₃-- are not organic molecules. In general, components like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, halogen, sulfur, and phosphorus make up organic molecules.

Additionally, certain chemical molecules could have metal bound to them. Methane, ethane, ethene, acetylene, methanol, chloroform, urea, insulin, protein, oil, etc. are some examples of organic molecules. Organic chemistry, often known as carbonic chemistry, is the area of science that studies these substances. The primary source of hydrocarbons is petroleum. The kinds of bonds that exist between the carbon atoms in hydrocarbons determine whether they are unsaturated or saturated.

Saturated Hydrocarbon

Saturated hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons with only one covalent connection forming between the carbon atoms. They are referred to as paraffin because they are extremely stable and less reactive. Another name for them is alkanes. These compounds have the general formula CnH2n +2, where 'n' is the number of carbon atoms. Here n = 1, 2, 3, 4,...

Name	Molecular Formula	Condensed Formula	Structural Formula
Methane	CH4	CH4
Ethane	C2H6	H3CCH3
Propane	C3H8	H2C(CH2)CH3
Butane	C4H10	H3C(CH2)2CH3
Pentane	C5H12	H3C(CH2)3CH3

Unsaturated Hydrocarbon

Unsaturated hydrocarbons are defined as those that contain two or three covalent bonds between their carbon atoms. They are referred to as olefins because they are highly reactive and less stable.Alkene and alkyne are other names for them.

Alkene

Alkenes are hydrocarbons in which the carbon atoms have formed two covalent bonds. As an example, consider butene, propene, and ethene. The formula for these compounds is typically CH, where 'n' represents the number of carbon atoms.

Name	Molecular formula	condensed formula	Structural formula
Ethen	C2H4	H2C = CH2
Propan	C3H6	H3C- CH = CH2
Butane	C4H8	H3C- CH2- CH = CH2

Alkyne

Alkyne hydrocarbons are defined as those that have three covalent bonds forming between their carbon atoms. For instance, butyne, propyne, and ethyne. These compounds generally have the formula CH, where 'n' is the number of carbon atoms.

Name	Molecular formula	condensed formula	Structural formula
Ethene	C2H2	HCº CH	H-CºC-H
Propane	C3H4	H3C-CºCH
Butane	C4H6	H3C-CH2-CºCH

The process of making vanaspati ghee from vegetable oil is called hydrogenation. In hydrogenation, the unsaturated fatty acids change to saturated fatty acids.

H₂C=CH2 (Alkene) + H₂ → C₂H₆ (Alkane)

Differences Between Saturated and Unsaturated Hydrocarbons

Homologous Series

A homologous series is a set of hydrocarbons that can all be expressed using the same general formula. Every person in this series is referred to as a homologue. The neighboring homologue of the series varies by CH₂ group, and all members of the series may be described by a single formula. Likewise, there is a 14.2 molecular weight difference between neighboring members of the series or homologue.

Alkyl Radical

The group of atoms formed by removing one hydrogen atom from an alkane molecule is called an alkyl radical. It can be represented by a general formula C_nH_2n+1. For example: -CH₃+, -C₂H₅+, etc.

Functional Group

An atom or a group of atoms which determines the structure and chemical reactivity of a certain group of organic compounds is called a functional group. The functional groups get attached to the alkyl groups to form different groups of organic compounds. Example of functional groups -O-, -CHO, -COOH