Lesson 2: THE C1 AND C2 HYDROCARBONS

INTRODUCTION
Organic chemistry describes the structures, properties, preparation, and reactions of a vast array of
molecules that are called organic compounds. Many organic compounds exist, but all have carbon as their
constituent atom. These carbon atoms form a carbon skeleton or carbon backbone with bonded atoms such as H,
O, S, and the halogens (F, Cl, Br, and I).
“Organic” in everyday language refers to a substance that is “natural.” This is probably a result of early
scientists' notion that all organic compounds came from living systems, which some chemists debugged over 170
years ago. Organic compounds are major components of living systems, but chemists can make them from
substances without a direct connection to living systems inside a laboratory.
Organic chemistry is the chemistry of compounds containing the carbon element, the common element of
all living organisms. Anthocyanins are the pigments that give flowers their various colors, chlorophyll is
responsible for the green shades of a plant is involved in the photosynthesis process of plants, and caffeine makes
coffee function the way it does. All these substances contain carbon, and they are all organic compounds.
CARBON is unique in its chemical properties because it forms several components that are superior to
the total addition of all the other elements in combination.
The biggest group of all these components is the one formed by carbon and hydrogen. We know a
minimum of about 1 million organic components, increasing rapidly every year. Although the classification is not
strict, carbon forms another series of compounds considered as inorganic, in a much lower number than that of
the organic compounds.
Elemental carbon exists in two well-defined allotropic crystalline forms: diamond and graphite. Other
forms with little crystallinity are vegetal carbon and black fume. Chemically pure carbon can be prepared by
termic decomposition of sugar (sucrose) without air. The physical and chemical properties of carbon depend on
its crystalline structure.
HYDROCARBONS
The term ‘hydrocarbon’ means a compound of carbon and hydrogen only. Hydrocarbons, such as LPG
and CNG, are used as fuels and obtained by natural gas liquefaction and play a crucial role in our daily lives.
Petron, diesel, and kerosene oil are obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum found in the earth’s crust.
Hydrocarbons are also used to manufacture polymers like polythene, polypropene, polystyrene, etc. Higher
hydrocarbons are used as solvents for paints. They are also the starting materials for manufacturing many dyes
and drugs.
CHARACTERISTICS OF HYDROCARBONS: Contains only carbon and Hydrogen
• Can be found in nature
• Can be a straight chain or branched
• Soluble in nonpolar solvents
• Nonelectrolytes
• Non-polar

CLASSIFICATION OF HYDROCARBONS
Hydrocarbons come in different types. Depending on the types of carbon-carbon bonds present, they can
be classified into three main categories: (i) saturated Hydrocarbons and essential energy sources. (ii) unsaturated
and (iii) aromatic hydrocarbons. Saturated hydrocarbons contain carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen single
bonds. If different carbon atoms are joined to form an open chain of carbon atoms with single bonds, they are
termed alkanes. If carbon atoms form a closed chain or a ring, they are termed cycloalkanes. Unsaturated
hydrocarbons contain multiple carbon-carbon bonds.
Carbon atoms always have four bonds: four single bonds, two single and one double bond, two double bonds, or
a single bond and a triple bond. Although carbon is the basic building block, organic compounds also usually
have hydrogen atoms. Oxygen and nitrogen are standard, but almost any other element can be found in organic
compounds. This section deals with the class of compounds known as hydrocarbons, which contain only carbon
and hydrogen.
Alkanes are the simplest organic compounds. All of the carbon atoms in an alkane are sp3 hybridized and
tetrahedral, and all bonds are sigma bonds, which makes alkanes relatively unreactive.

NAMING OF SIMPLE HYDROCARBONS

Number of carbons Prefix Branches
1 meth F-Fluoro-
2 eth Cl-Chloro-
3 prop Br-Bromo-
4 but CH3-Methyl
5 pent CH3CH2-ethyl
6 hex
7 hept
8 oct
9 non
10 deca

Rule: Prefix + ane (if single bond)/ ene (double bond)/ yl(triple bond)
Example:CH4
One-carbon, single-bond
Name: Meth (prefix) + ane (single bond) =Methane
Example

two-carbon, single-bond
Name: Eth (prefix) + ane (single bond)= Ethane

HYDROCARBONS STRUCTURE
LEWIS STRUCTURE
In a Lewis structure of an organic
compound, all of the bonds and
atoms are shown explicitly, but the
bond angles are often demonstrated
as 90°.
CONDENSED STRUCTURE
A condensed structure shows the
atoms but not all of the bonds.
Sometimes, the C–C bonds are
shown, but frequently, they are not.
SKELETAL STRUCTURE
A skeletal structure does not
explicitly show carbon, hydrogen
atoms, or C–H bonds. The lines'
ends and intersections indicate the
carbon atoms' positions in a
skeletal structure. Thus, the
structure of propane shows three
carbon atoms: one at each end and
one at the intersection of the two-
line segments. The positions of the
hydrogen atoms are inferred from
the number of bonds shown to each
carbon.

Alkyl Groups
An alkyl group is formed by removing an H atom from an alkane. Alkyl groups are hydrocarbons' side
chains (not on the longest continuous chain).
 The carbon atoms are not in the longest continuous chain of a branched hydrocarbon. Instead, these carbon
atoms are in groups called side chains, which are attached to the longest continuous chain. Side chains can be any
group, but we restrict our discussion to alkyl groups. Alkyl groups are formed by removing one hydrogen atom
from an alkane. The resulting alkyl group binds to a longer chain at the position of the removed hydrogen. Alkyl
groups are parts of compounds; they are not compounds themselves. The name of the alkyl group is obtained by
adding -yl to the root name. The two most straightforward alkyl groups are given in Table.
Branches
F-Fluoro-
Cl-Chloro-
Br-Bromo-
CH3-Methyl
C2H5-ethyl

NAMING ALKANES
Branched alkanes have side chains, so the name of a branched alkane specifies the longest continuous
chain and the identity and position of the side chains (alkyl groups). Although there can be many side chains of
varying lengths, we restrict our discussion of branched alkanes to those with one or two side chains, which will
be either a methyl or an ethyl group. The position of the alkyl group is indicated by the number of carbon atoms
attached to it. Thus, the carbon atoms in the longest chain must be numbered. To number the longest continuous
chain, start at the end that produces the smallest number for the side chain.
To name branched alkanes:
1. Identify the longest chain, select the appropriate root name, and add ane to indicate an alkane.
2. Number the carbon atoms of the longest continuous chain starting at the end that produces the smaller
number for the carbon atom to which the alkyl group is attached.
3. Identify the side chain and its position.
4. Name the alkane using the number of the position of the side chain, a hyphen, the name of the alkyl group,
and the name obtained in step 1.

Example 1:

Step 1: three carbons → prop (prefix) + ane (single bond) =propane

Step 2:

Step 3: CH3 → ethyl; second carbon

Step 4: 2-Methyl propane
Example 2: CH3-CH2-CH-CH2-CH2-CH3
|
C2H5
Step 1: 6 carbons → hex (prefix) + ane (single bond) =hexane
Step 2: CH3-CH2-CH-CH2-CH2-CH3
|
C2H5
Step 3: C2H5 → Ethyl; fourth carbon
Step 4: 4-Ethyl hexane

Example 3:

Step 1: Eight carbon→ Oct (prefix) + ane (single bond)= Octane

Step 2: F

Step 3: Fluoro ; seventh carbon

Step 4: 7-Fluoro Octane

Naming Alkanes with Multiple Alkyl Groups

To name alkanes with more than one side chain, place the names of the alkyl groups in alphabetical
order, separated by hyphens, in front of the root name. For example, 3-ethyl-2-methyl heptane is a seven-carbon
continuous chain with a C2H5 group on the third carbon and a CH3 group attached to the second carbon. If two
identical groups are attached to the same carbon, the number of positions is repeated with a comma separator, and
the number of groups is given by a prefix, as in 2,2-dimethyl heptane.
Note:
di- if two the same alkyl group
tri-if three the same alkyl group
Quadro- if four the same alkyl group

Step 1: Seven carbon → hept (prefix) + ane = heptane

Step 2:
Step 3: fluoro; third and fifth carbon ( since there are 2 in the same alkyl group, we use di-)
Step 4: 3, 4-difluoro heptance
Naming Alkenes and Alkynes
Alkenes are numbered, so the C=C double bond has the lowest possible number.
To name a straight or continuous chain alkene:
1. Number the chain to give the lowest number of carbon atoms in the double or triple bond.
2. Specify the chain length with the appropriate root name and add -ene to indicate an alkene or -yne to
indicate an alkyne.
 3. Indicate the position of the double or triple bond by the number of the carbon atom in the bond with the
lower number in the chain.
4. The name is the position of the bond as determined in step 3 followed by a hyphen, and then the root name
is determined in step 2.
Example 1:

ROTATIONAL CONFORMATIONS OF ETHANE

Conformational isomerism involves rotation about sigma bonds and does not involve any
differences in the connectivity of the atoms or bonding geometry. Two or more structures categorized as
conformational isomers, or conformers, are just two of the same molecules that differ only in the rotation
of one or more sigma bonds.
ETHANE CONFORMATIONS
Although the ethane molecule has seven sigma bonds, rotation about the six carbon-hydrogen bonds does
not change the molecule’s shape because the hydrogen atoms are essentially spherical—however, rotation about
the carbon-carbon bond results in many different possible molecular conformations.

ROTATIONAL CONFORMATIONS OF ETHANE

Conformational isomerism involves rotation about sigma bonds and does not involve any
differences in the connectivity of the atoms or bonding geometry. Two or more structures categorized as
conformational isomers, or conformers, are just two of the same molecules that differ only in the rotation
of one or more sigma bonds.
ETHANE CONFORMATIONS
Although the ethane molecule has seven sigma bonds, rotation about the six carbon-hydrogen bonds does
not change the molecule’s shape because the hydrogen atoms are essentially spherical—however, rotation about
the carbon-carbon bond results in many different possible molecular conformations.
CHEMICAL REACTIONS OF C1 AND C1 HYDROCARBONS
HYDROCARBON COMBUSTION is a chemical reaction in which a hydrocarbon reacts with oxygen
to create carbon dioxide, water, and heat. Hydrocarbons are molecules consisting of both hydrogen and carbon.
They are most famous for being the primary constituents of fossil fuels: natural gas, petroleum, and coal. For this
reason, fossil fuel resources are often called hydrocarbon resources.[1] Energy is obtained from fossil fuels
through combustion (burning). Although impurities exist in fossil fuels, hydrocarbon combustion is the primary
process in burning fossil fuels.
𝑦
GENERAL EQUATION: 𝐶𝑥 𝐻𝑦 + 𝑁(𝑂2 ) ↔ 𝑥(𝐶𝑂2 ) + (𝐻2 𝑂)
2

x- number of carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon

y-number of hydrogen atoms in the hydrocarbon
N-refers to the number of oxygen atoms required in a combustion reaction
Example: Given: CH4 + O2 ↔ ________________
x=1 y=4 N=1
CH4 + O2 ↔ 1 (CO2) + 4/2 (H2O)
Final answer: CH4 + O2 ↔ CO2 + 2 H2O

Example: C5H12 + O2 ↔ __________________

x= 5 y=12 N=1
C5H12 + O2 ↔ 5 (CO2) + 12/2 (H2O)
Final answer: C5H12 + O2 ↔ 5 CO2 + 6 H2O

HYDROCARBON SUBSTITUTION REACTION is a reaction in which one or more atoms in a molecule are
replaced with another atom or group of atoms. Alkyl halides are formed by substituting a halogen atom for a
hydrogen atom. When methane reacts with chlorine gas, ultraviolet light can act as a catalyst for the reaction.

GENERAL EQUATION: AB + C ↔AC + B or AB +CD →AD + BC