Alkanes

Saturated hydrocarbon; General Formula: CnH2n+2 Primarily used as fuels. solvents and lubricants Physical Properties Solubilities: Non-polar- dissolve in nonpolar or weakly polar solvents Hydrophobic- do not dissolve in water, good lubricants and preservatives because they keep water from reaching the metal surface and causing corrosion Densities Around 0.7 g/mL Separates into two layers with alkanes on top when mixed with water Boiling Points Increase smoothly with increasing carbons Branched alkanes have lower bp than straight-chained alkanes Melting point Increase with increasing molecular weight (increase in melting point is not smooth. Alkanes with even number of C have higher mp than odd number of C because they pack better into a solid structure than odd number alkanes Branched alkane melts higher than normal (n) alkane with the same number of C atoms. Branching gives it more compact 3D structure which packs more easily into a solid structure.