Alkaaniyhdisteitä

Alkaaniyhdisteitä are organic compounds that consist solely of carbon and hydrogen atoms, with the carbon atoms linked together by single bonds. This class of hydrocarbons is also known as saturated hydrocarbons because the carbon atoms are bonded to the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms, meaning they cannot undergo addition reactions easily. The general formula for acyclic alkanes is CnH2n+2, where 'n' represents the number of carbon atoms. Cyclic alkanes, which have carbon atoms arranged in a ring structure, have the general formula CnH2n.

The simplest alkane is methane (CH4), followed by ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), and butane (C4H10). As the number of carbon atoms increases, the number of possible structural isomers also increases. Isomers are compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural arrangements of atoms. For example, butane exists as two isomers: n-butane and isobutane.

Alkanes are generally nonpolar molecules, which makes them insoluble in water but soluble in nonpolar solvents. They are relatively unreactive due to the strength and nonpolarity of the C-C and C-H bonds. However, they can undergo combustion reactions, producing carbon dioxide and water, and in the presence of insufficient oxygen, carbon monoxide or soot. They can also undergo free radical halogenation, where a hydrogen atom is substituted by a halogen atom.

Alkanes are a major component of natural gas and petroleum. They serve as fuels, lubricants, and raw materials for the petrochemical industry, from which numerous other organic chemicals are synthesized. Their properties, such as boiling point and melting point, generally increase with increasing molecular size due to stronger van der Waals forces.