Hydrocarbons

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Organic Compound Noun

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[or-gan-ik kom-pound]

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Organic Compound

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A chemical compound that contains carbon, with a few exceptions like carbonates, oxides, and cyanide salts.

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Example: This image shows a methane molecule, a simple organic compound made of one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms, which is a type of hydrocarbon.

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Covalent Bond Noun

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[koh-vey-luhnt bond]

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Covalent Bond

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A chemical bond formed when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons to achieve stability.

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Example: This diagram shows two nonmetal atoms sharing their outer electrons to form a strong connection called a covalent bond, creating a new molecule.

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Hydrocarbon Noun

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[hahy-droh-kahr-buhn]

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Hydrocarbon

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An organic compound that contains only hydrogen and carbon atoms, forming the basis of many fuels.

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Example: This diagram shows methane, the simplest hydrocarbon, which is a molecule made of only carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) atoms bonded together.

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Structural Formula Noun

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[struhk-cher-uhl fawr-myuh-luh]

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Structural Formula

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A graphic representation of a molecule's shape, using lines to show the chemical bonds between atoms.

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Example: This image displays structural formulas, which are diagrams showing how atoms in molecules like ethane and propane are connected by chemical bonds.

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Alkane Noun

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[al-keyn]

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Alkane

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A hydrocarbon characterized by having only single covalent bonds between its carbon atoms, making it saturated.

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Example: This image shows the first three alkanes, a type of hydrocarbon. Each alkane in the series is built by adding one carbon and two hydrogen atoms (a CH2 group) to the previous one.

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Alkene Noun

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[al-keen]

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Alkene

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An unsaturated hydrocarbon that contains one or more carbon-carbon double covalent bonds within its structure.

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Example: An alkene is a hydrocarbon with at least one double bond between two carbon atoms, as shown in this diagram of ethene.

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Alkyne Noun

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[al-kahyn]

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Alkyne

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An unsaturated hydrocarbon that contains one or more carbon-carbon triple covalent bonds within its structure.

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Example: This diagram shows an alkyne, a type of hydrocarbon characterized by a triple bond between two carbon atoms.

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Cyclic Hydrocarbon Noun

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[sahy-klik hahy-droh-kahr-buhn]

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Cyclic Hydrocarbon

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An organic compound that contains a hydrocarbon ring structure formed by three or more carbon atoms.

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Example: This diagram shows cyclohexane, an example of a cyclic hydrocarbon, where carbon atoms are joined together to form a closed ring.

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Homologous Series Noun

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[hoh-mol-uh-guhs seer-eez]

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Homologous Series

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A group of compounds in which there is a constant incremental change from one compound to the next.

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Example: This image shows a homologous series of alkynes, where each successive hydrocarbon (Propyne, Butyne, etc.) differs from the previous one by a single CH2 group.

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Branched-Chain Alkane Noun

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[brancht-cheyn al-keyn]

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Branched-Chain Alkane

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An alkane that has a main chain of carbon atoms and one or more attached side chains or branches.

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Example: This image shows how a branched-chain alkane has a carbon chain that splits, unlike a straight-chain alkane where all carbons form a single line.