Summary
Highlights
Organic chemistry focuses on compounds containing carbon. Carbon is a versatile element, forming four strong bonds, often with other carbon atoms or hydrogen atoms. Molecules composed solely of carbon and hydrogen are called hydrocarbons.
A hydrocarbon is any compound formed exclusively from carbon and hydrogen. For example, butane is a hydrocarbon, but butanol (which also contains oxygen) is not.
Alkanes are the simplest type of hydrocarbons. The first four alkanes are methane (one carbon, four hydrogens), ethane (two carbons, six hydrogens), propane (three carbons, eight hydrogens), and butane (four carbons, ten hydrogens).
Alkanes form a homologous series, meaning they have similar properties and react similarly. Their general formula is CnH2n+2, where 'n' represents the number of carbon atoms. This formula allows for calculating the molecular formula of any alkane, such as octane (C8H18).
Alkanes are saturated compounds, characterized by every carbon atom forming four single covalent bonds. They contain no double bonds, differentiating them from alkenes, which will be discussed in a later video on cracking hydrocarbons.