Carboxylic acids and esters

Question 1

What is the the structure of alkanes

Answer 1

Alkanes are hydrocarbons that contain carbon and hydrogen atoms with only single bonds. They are also known as saturated hydrocarbons.

Question 2

What is the general structure of alkanes

Answer 2

They have the general formula CnH2n+2

Question 3

Why do people crack hydrocarbons

Answer 3

Most of the alkanes from crude oil have long carbon chains.

Long chain alkanes are not as useful as shorter chain alkanes (due to them not being useful as fuels); therefore, cracking can be used to form shorter chain alkanes from long chain alkanes.

Question 4

What are the methods to crack a hydrocarbon

Answer 4

Cracking involves heating the long chain alkanes in the presence of a catalyst but in the absence of oxygen, which breaks them down into smaller hydrocarbons.

The products of cracking are shorter chain alkanes (which are more useful as fuels) and an alkene

Question 5

What are the structure of alkenes

Answer 5

Alkenes are hydrocarbons that contain a carbon-carbon double bond in the carbon chain. They are also known as unsaturated hydrocarbons.

Question 6

What is the general formula of alkenes

Answer 6

They have the general formula CnH2n