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Alkanes and alkenes are two groups of organic compounds obtained from crude oil or petroleum.
a. What is crude oil?
b. How has crude oil been formed?
c. Why is crude oil important for us?
2. Naming alkanes
You will need to name each of the compounds that you have drawn by using the following rules:
The names of all alkanes end with ane
The first part of the name tells us the number of carbon atoms
meth- 1 carbon atom
but4 carbon atom
eth2 carbon atom
pent5 carbon atom
prop3 carbon atom
Write the names of each of the 5 compounds next to their molecular formula.
alkane
methane
ethane
propane
butane
pentane
hexane
heptane
nonane
number of
carbon atoms
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
boiling point
(K)
110
185
230
275
310
340
370
425
alkane
viscosity
pentane
0.24
hexane
0.40
heptane
0.52
octane
0.70
decane
0.92
b. Using the data in the table on the right to draw a graph with the number of carbons on the x-axis and
boiling point on the y-axis. You can do on a piece of graph paper or use Excel (but print it out).
c. Describe the trend between the number of carbon atoms and the boiling point.
d. Using your graph, predict the boiling point of octane.
e. The table on the right shows the relationship between some alkanes and their viscosity. Viscosity
indicates how runny a substance is; the higher the value the stickier or less runny it is.
(i) What is the relationship between number of carbon atoms and viscosity?
(ii) Why are there no values for methane, ethane, propane and butane?
f. Find out what happens to the colour of alkanes as the number of carbon atoms increases.
5. Isomerism
a. Write the heading Isomerism and draw the displayed structure of butane again.
b. Now see if you can rearrange the molecule using all atoms whilst ensuring you stick to the rules.
When you have completed the new rearrangement, draw its displayed formula. One of the displayed
formula must be a branched alkane. Write branched alkane underneath the correct one.
c. What do both displayed formula have in common? How are they different?
d. What you have drawn are two isomers.
(i) What does iso mean?
(ii) What are isomers?
e. How many isomers can you draw for pentane? hexane (hex- = 6 carbon atoms)?
7. Naming alkenes
You will need to name each of the compounds that you have drawn. Names of alkenes end with ene
and for the first part of the name we use the same rules as with alkanes. In fact we use the same rule
for all organic compounds.