Hydrocarbons Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards for Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons

Compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen.

Petroleum and natural gas

Major sources of aliphatic hydrocarbons.

Coal

Important source of aromatic hydrocarbons.

Petroleum

Oil trapped inside rocks.

Natural gas

Gaseous mixture covering oil in petroleum fields, mainly methane, ethane, propane, and butane.

Acyclic or Aliphatic Hydrocarbons

Open-chain hydrocarbons.

Carbocyclic or Cyclic Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons containing a ring structure.

Alicyclic Hydrocarbons

Cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons.

Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Cyclic hydrocarbons with aromatic properties.

Alkanes

Saturated hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2.

Alkenes

Unsaturated hydrocarbons with at least one double bond.

Alkynes

Unsaturated hydrocarbons with at least one triple bond.

Wurtz Reaction

Reaction used to prepare alkanes with an even number of carbon atoms: 2RX + 2Na -> R-R + 2NaX

Frankland reaction

Reaction involving RX + Zn + RX -> R-R + ZnX2

Grignard reagent

Reagent with formula RMgX.

Sabatier-Senderens Reduction

Reduction of unsaturated hydrocarbons using H2 and a catalyst to form alkanes.

Decarboxylation

Removal of CO2 from a carboxylic acid.

Kolbe's Electrolytic Method

Electrolysis of a carboxylic acid salt to form an alkane.

Nature of Alkanes

Alkanes are non-polar due to the covalent nature of C-C and C-H bonds.

Solubility

Property that "like dissolves like,"

Van der Waals' Forces

Forces between molecules that increase with molecular size.

Combustion

Process of burning a substance in the presence of oxygen.

Halogenation

Process of adding halogen atoms to a molecule.

Nitration

Replacement of a hydrogen atom by a nitro group (-NO2).

Sulphonation

Replacement of a hydrogen atom by a -SO3H group.

Aromatization

Conversion of alkanes into aromatic compounds at high temperatures.

Thermal Decomposition/Pyrolysis/Cracking/Fragmentation

Breaking down of larger alkanes into smaller alkanes and alkenes at high temperatures.

Action of Steam

Reaction of methane with steam to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

Isomerization

Process of converting a straight-chain alkane into its branched-chain isomers.

Conformational Isomerism

Different molecular arrangements due to rotation around C-C single bonds.

Olefins

Alkenes are also known as this.

Lindlar's Catalyst

Catalyst used for partial reduction of alkynes to alkenes.

Dehydrohalogenation

Elimination reaction where a hydrogen halide is removed from a haloalkane.

Saytzeff's Rule

Rule stating that the major product in dehydrohalogenation is the more substituted alkene.

Dehalogenation

Elimination reaction where halogen is removed from a dihaloalkane.

Dehydration

Removal of water from an alcohol.

Markovnikov Rule

Rule stating that the negative part of the addendum attaches to the carbon with fewer hydrogen atoms.

Peroxide Effect/Kharasch (Anti-Markovnikov's Addition)

Addition of HBr to an unsymmetrical alkene in the presence of peroxide goes against Markovnikov's rule.

Hydroboration-oxidation

Alkenes react with diborane to form trialkyl boranes, which are then oxidized to alcohols.

Oxymercuration-demercuration

Reaction involving mercury(II) acetate, followed by reduction, to convert alkenes to alcohols.

Baeyer's Reagent

Reagent that oxidizes alkenes to glycols and is used as a test for unsaturation.

Ozonolysis

Oxidation of alkenes with ozone to form carbonyl compounds.

Bromine Water Test and Baeyer's Test

Test used to detect the presence of a double bond.

Ozonolysis

Test used to detect the position of a double bond.

Lindlar's catalyst

Catalyst to control hydrogenation at the alkene stage.

Birch Reduction

Reduction of terminal alkynes using sodium in liquid ammonia to produce trans-alkenes.

Benzenoids

Aromatic compounds containing a benzene ring.

Non-benzenoids

Aromatic compounds not containing a benzene ring.

Hückel Rule

Rule stating that aromatic compounds must have (4n+2) π electrons.

Electrophilic Substitution Reactions

Reactions typical of arenes, involving the substitution of a hydrogen atom by an electrophile.

Ortho and Para Directing Groups

Directing groups that increase electron density at the ortho and para positions.

Meta Directing Groups

Directing groups that decrease electron density overall.

Carcinogens

Substances that can produce cancer.

Tollen's reagent and ammonical CuCl solution

Reagent used to distinguish between ethene and ethyne.

Grignard reagent

Alkyl magnesium halides.