C4H8

C4H8 is the molecular formula for a family of four-carbon, eight-hydrogen hydrocarbons. It does not refer to a single compound but to several structural isomers that share one degree of unsaturation, including alkenes and a cycloalkane.

The main structural isomers are: 1-butene, with the double bond at the end of a four-carbon chain (CH2=CH-CH2-CH3); 2-butene, with the double bond between the middle two carbons and existing as cis and trans forms (CH3-CH=CH-CH3); 2-methylpropene, also known as isobutene, a branched alkene with the structure CH2=C(CH3)2; and cyclobutane, a four-membered ring hydrocarbon (C4H8) that contains one ring but no double bonds.

These isomers exhibit different physical properties and reactivities. Linear and branched butenes (1-, 2-butene, isobutene) are used as monomers or comonomers in polymer industries, notably in the production of polyolefins and specialty polymers. Isobutene is a key intermediate in the synthesis of tert-butyl alcohol, methyl tert-butyl ether, and various polymers. Cyclobutane, while less common as a bulk chemical, serves as a synthetic building block in organic chemistry and materials research, and its ring strain influences chemical behavior differently from the open-chain isomers.

In summary, C4H8 covers several notable compounds that share the same formula but differ in structure and applications, encompassing both alkenes and a cycloalkane.