Alkanes are hydrocarbons with single bonds from "summary" of NCERT Chemistry Class 11 - [CBSE Board] by Dr. S. C. Rastogi, ,Er. Meera Goyal
Alkanes are composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms, arranged in a linear or branched structure. The key feature of alkanes is that they contain only single bonds between carbon atoms. This means that each carbon atom is bonded to four other atoms, either carbon or hydrogen, through sigma bonds. The presence of single bonds gives alkanes a specific molecular formula, which can be represented as CnH2n+2. Here, 'n' represents the number of carbon atoms in the alkane molecule. The single bonds in alkanes provide them with a certain level of stability. Since single bonds are relatively strong and have a fixed bond length, alkanes are considered to be relatively inert and unreactive compared to other hydrocarbons with multiple bonds. This stability is a result of the lack of pi bonds in alkanes, which are more susceptible to breaking compared to sigma bonds. The carbon-carbon single bonds in alkanes allow for free rotation around the bond axis. This means that the carbon atoms in an alkane molecule can rotate with respect to each other, leading to different possible spatial arrangements of the atoms. This property is known as conformational isomerism and gives rise to different conformations or shapes of the alkane molecule. However, it is important to note that these different conformations do not represent different isomers, as they can interconvert freely by rotation around single bonds. The simplest alkane is methane (CH4), which consists of a single carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms. As the number of carbon atoms in the alkane molecule increases, the molecular structure becomes more complex, with a linear or branched arrangement of carbon atoms. The general formula for alkanes is CnH2n+2, where 'n' can take on different values to represent alkanes of varying chain lengths. In summary, alkanes are characterized by the presence of single bonds between carbon atoms, giving them a stable and relatively unreactive nature. The ability of carbon atoms in alkanes to rotate freely around single bonds allows for different spatial arrangements of the atoms, leading to conformational isomerism. This fundamental concept of single bonds in alkanes is essential for understanding the properties and behavior of these hydrocarbons in various chemical reactions and applications.
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