What is a hydrocarbon?

Question

What is a hydrocarbon in Chemistry terms?
Can i have some examples of a hydrocarbon?

Answer 1

A hydrocarbon is a molecule that is made of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms.

methane CH4
ethane C2H6
benzene C6H6

Answer 2

A hydrocarbon is a chemical compound that consists only of the elements carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). Hydrocarbons contain a backbone consisting of carbon atoms, called a carbon skeleton with hydrogen atoms attached to that backbone. Hydrocarbons, which are combustible, are the main components of fossil fuels, which include petroleum, coal, and natural gas. The most abundant hydrocarbon is methane.


Types of hydrocarbons

Pure hydrocarbons, i.e. those compounds that contain only carbon and hydrogen, can be classified as follows:

1. aromatic hydrocarbons, also known as arenes which have at least one aromatic ring
2. saturated hydrocarbons, also known as alkanes or aliphatic hydrocarbons, don't have any double, triple or aromatic bonds. Their formula is CnH2n+2
3. unsaturated hydrocarbons have one or more double or triple bonds between carbon atoms. Those with one double bond are called alkenes, with the formula CnH2n (assuming non-cyclic structures). Those with only one triple bond are called alkynes.

The names for the individual hydrocarbons indicates the number of carbon atoms. For example, an alkane which has 7 carbon atoms is called heptane. Hydrocarbons must follow the 4-hydrogen rule which states that all carbon atoms must have the maximum number of hydrogen atoms that it can hold (the limit is four). A carbon atom has a bonding capacity of 4 and therefore must make 4 bonds, whether it be with hydrogen or an adjoining carbon atom. Note, an extra bond removes 2 hydrogen atoms and only saturated hydrocarbons can attain the full four. This is because of the unique positions of the carbon's four electrons.

Answer 3

A hydrocarbon is a chemical compound that consists only of the elements carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). Hydrocarbons contain a backbone consisting of carbon atoms, called a carbon skeleton with hydrogen atoms attached to that backbone. Hydrocarbons, which are combustible, are the main components of fossil fuels, which include petroleum, coal, and natural gas. The most abundant hydrocarbon is methane which is aliphatic
Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon

Answer 4

Hydrocarbon are simplest of all organic compounds,containing only carbon and hydrogen.Classified into 2 group,saturated hydrocarbon and unsaturated hydrocarbon.

Answer 5

Briefly, hydrocarbons are formed from organic matter that has transformed over the eons into pools of crude oil. The raw crude is fractionated into all sorts of combustable hydrocarbons by the distillation method. Butane, pentane, heptane, propane, vaccum gas oil that eventually will become aviation fuel, gaseoline, kerosine, fuel oil, etc., ad nauseum. It's almost the same as making moonshine!

Answer 6

A hydrocarbon is a molecule that contains only hydrogens and carbons.

Answer 7

hydrocarbon (hī'drōkär'bən) , any organic compound composed solely of the elements hydrogen and carbon. The hydrocarbons differ both in the total number of carbon and hydrogen atoms in their molecules and in the proportion of hydrogen to carbon. The hydrocarbons can be divided into various homologous series. Each member of such a series shows a definite relationship in its structural formula to the members preceding and following it, and there is generally some regularity in changes in physical properties of successive members of a series. The alkanes are a homologous series of saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons. The first and simplest member of this series is methane, CH4; the series is sometimes called the methane series. Each successive member of a homologous series of hydrocarbons has one more carbon and two more hydrogen atoms in its molecule than the preceding member. The second alkane is ethane, C2H6, and the third is propane, C3H8. Alkanes have the general formula CnH2n+2 (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1). Generally, hydrocarbons of low molecular weight, e.g., methane, ethane, and propane, are gases; those of intermediate molecular weight, e.g., hexane, heptane, and octane, are liquids; and those of high molecular weight, e.g., eicosane (C20H42) and polyethylene, are solids. Paraffin is a mixture of high-molecular-weight alkanes; the alkanes are sometimes called the paraffin series. Other homologous series of hydrocarbons include the alkenes and the alkynes. The various alkyl derivatives of benzene are sometimes referred to as the benzene series. Many common natural substances, e.g., natural gas, petroleum, and asphalt, are complex mixtures of hydrocarbons. The coal tar obtained from coal by coking is also a mixture of hydrocarbons. Natural gas, petroleum, and coal tar are important sources of many hydrocarbons. These complex mixtures can be refined into simpler mixtures or pure substances by fractional distillation. During the refining of petroleum, one kind of hydrocarbon is often converted to another, more useful kind by cracking. Useful hydrocarbon mixtures include cooking gas, gasoline, naphtha, benzine, kerosene, paraffin, and lubricating oils. Many hydrocarbons are useful as fuels; they burn in air to form carbon dioxide and water. The hydrocarbons differ in chemical activity. The alkanes are unaffected by many common reagents, while the alkenes and alkynes are much more reactive, as a result of the presence of unsaturation (i.e., a carbon-carbon double or triple bond) in their molecules. Many important compounds are derived from hydrocarbons, either by substitution or replacement by some other chemical group or element of one or more of the hydrogen atoms of the hydrocarbon molecule, or by the addition of some element or group to a double or triple bond (in an unsaturated hydrocarbon). Such derivatives include alcohols, aldehydes, ethers, carboxylic acids, and halocarbons.

Answer 8

Everyday examples of hydrocarbons are gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, and motor oil.

Answer 9

a long organic molecule consistign of both carbon and hydrogen atoms

Eg. methane formula CH4
ethane Formula: C2H6

Answer 10

Organic molecules containing carbon and hydrogen