Alkitab university/Dentistry college Lecture 11

first stage
2023-2024

Hydrocarbons

Experimental Medical Chemistry

By
Asst.Lecturer Shahad Shakir
Supervised by
Dr.Lecturer Madyan Adnan
 Introduction
Hydrocarbons are organic compounds that contain only
carbon and hydrogen. Hydrocarbons can be classified into two main types:
1) aliphatic hydrocarbons:- are divided into three major groups
which are:
• Alkanes –are saturated hydrocarbons with only single bonds.
• Alkenes –are unsaturated hydrocarbons that contain at least one carbon-
carbon double bond.
• Alkynes –are unsaturated hydrocarbons that contain triply bonded
carbons.
2) aromatic hydrocarbons:- are hydrocarbons that have at least one aromatic
ring. They are known as arenes. Some examples of aromatic hydrocarbons
benzene (C6H6) and methylbenzene (C6H5CH3).
These types of compounds react in different ways, so it is possible to distinguish
between them using experimental tests.
 Purpose of experiment

1. The aim of the experiment is to examine the

solubility, density, and physical properties of certain
hydrocarbons.
2. To compare the chemical reactivity of an alkane, an
alkene, and an
aromatic compound.
3. To use physical and chemical properties to identify
an unknown.
 Experimental part
A. Physical Properties of Hydrocarbons
all hydrocarbons are nonpolar. (Carbon and hydrogen have very similar
electronegativities.) This means that all hydrocarbons will be insoluble in water.
1. Water solubility and density of hydrocarbons.
1. Put 1 mL of cyclohexane, cyclohexene, hexene, toluene. etc in separate test tubes.
2. Add 1 mL of water to each test tube.
3. Gently mix each solution by swirling the test tube.
4. Let the test tubes sit without moving them for one minute.
5. Record whether each solution mixes together completely (miscible) or separates into
layers (immiscible).
Relative Density: Mix the contents as described above. What do you conclude about
the density of the hydrocarbon? Is the hydrocarbon more dense than water or less dense
than water? Record your observations.
 B- Chemical Properties of Hydrocarbons

1. Combustion:- All hydrocarbons will burn in the presence of oxygen (in the air).
This reaction is called combustion, and the products of this reaction are water and
carbon dioxide gas. Here is an example of a combustion reaction:

Procedure :
Place 5 drops of each hydrocarbon on separate watch glasses. Carefully ignite each
sample with a match. Observe the flame and color of the smoke for each of the samples.
Record your observations on the Report Sheet
2. Halogenation:- Alkanes do undergo a substitution reaction with halogens but require
ultraviolet light.) Unsaturated hydrocarbons, Alkenes and alkynes are much more
reactive than alkanes. They will react readily with Br2 or Cl2, and ultraviolet light is not
needed for the reaction. This reaction is an addition reaction – the halogen atoms will
add at the site of the double bond only. Therefore, this reaction is selective– only one
product will result.

Procedure :
Place 5 drops of each liquid to be tested in separate clean, dry test tubes. Label the
tubes. Carefully add 3 drops of the bromine solution to each tube. Note whether the
orange color of the bromine disappears immediately or not. The disappearance of the
bromine color is a positive reaction. If the test is negative, shine UV light on the tube
for up to 2 minutes and note whether the color disappears.
Aromatic compounds are not very reactive. They will not react with Br2 or Cl2 under
normal conditions.
3. Oxidation :- Dilute or alkaline solutions of KMnO4 oxidize unsaturated
compounds. Alkanes and aromatic compounds are generally unreactive. When a
purple solution of the oxidizing agent KMnO4 is added to an alkene, the alkene is
oxidized to a diol and the KMnO4 is reduced to brown MnO2.

Procedure :

In a small test tube, add (1 ml) of hydrocarbon (hexane, cyclohexene, toluene) to a

mixture of (3 ml) of dilute potassium permanganate solution (0.5 % KMnO4 solution)
and (3 ml) of dilute sodium carbonate solution (10% Na2CO3 solution) and shake the
tube for 1-2 minutes, and note the results.

DISPOSAL: Please dispose all waste from these test tubes experiments in the
appropriate waste container as directed by instructor.