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 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF ALKANES
 Alkanes are non-polar

Intermolecular forces are van der Waals forces

Insoluble in water

Less dense than water

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF ALKANES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF ALKANES
 PREPARATION OF ALKANES
• The term petroleum comes from the Latin
stems petra, "rock," and oleum, "oil."
 It is used to describe a broad range of
hydrocarbons that are found as gases, liquids, or
solids beneath the surface of the earth.
 The two most common forms are natural gas
and crude oil.
 PREPARATION OF ALKANES
• Natural gas is a mixture of lightweight alkanes.
• A typical sample of natural gas when it is
collected at its source contains 80% methane
(CH4), 7% ethane (C2H6), 6% propane (C3H8),
4% butane and isobutane (C4H10), and 3%
pentanes (C5H12).
 PREPARATION OF ALKANES
• The C3, C4, and C5 hydrocarbons are removed
before the gas is sold.
• The commercial natural gas delivered to the
customer is therefore primarily a mixture of
methane and ethane.
• The propane and butanes removed from natural gas
are usually liquefied under pressure and sold as
liquefied petroleum gases (LPG).
 PREPARATION OF ALKANES
• Crude oil is a complex mixture that is between
50 and 95% hydrocarbon by weight. The first
step in refining crude oil involves separating the
oil into different hydrocarbon fractions by
distillation.
 PREPARATION OF ALKANES

Hydrogenation (Reduction) of Alkene

catalyst: Ni or Pt
e.g. CH2=CH2 + H2 → CH3-CH3
 PREPARATION OF ALKANES

Clemmenson Reduction
 PREPARATION OF ALKANES

Hydrolysis of a Grignard Reagent

 PREPARATION OF ALKANES

Coupling of Alkyl Halides w/ Organometallics

PREPARATION OF ALKANES
 REACTIONS OF ALKANES
Alkanes burn in air to give carbon dioxide and
water
e.g. CH4 + O2 → CO2 + H2O
 Complete combustion
When alkanes burn in limited amount of air
carbon monoxide is produced
e.g. 2CH4(g) + 3O2(g) → 2CO(g) + 4H2O(l)
 Incomplete combustion
 REACTIONS OF ALKANES
Halogenation
REACTIONS OF ALKANES
 REACTIONS OF ALKANES
Mechanism
Step 1: Initiation
• The breaking of the chlorine molecular bond requires
energy which we call the bond dissociation energy.

• An atom or group of atoms possessing an odd (unpaired)

electron is called a free radical.
 REACTIONS OF ALKANES
Step 2: Chain Propagation

3:
 REACTIONS OF ALKANES

Step 4: Termination
 REACTIONS OF ALKANES

Cracking (Pyrolysis)
• Decomposition of a compound by the action of
heat alone is a physio-chemical process known
commonly as pyrolysis.
 REACTIONS OF ALKANES
 The pyrolysis of alkanes, particularly when
petroleum is concerned, is known as cracking.
 In thermal cracking. alkanes are simply passed
through a chamber which has been previously
heated a high temperature (> 1000 degrees C).

 REACTIONS OF ALKANES
 Large alkanes are converted into smaller
alkanes, alkenes, and hydrogen.
 This process yields predominantly ethylene
(C2H4) together with small molecules.