| Hydrocarbons |
| Organic compounds that contain only carbon and hydrogen are hydrocarbons, which differ from one another by the number of carbon and hydrogen atoms they contain. The simplest hydrocarbon is methane, CH4, with only one carbon per molecule. Methane is the main component of natural gas. The hydrocarbon octane, C8H18, has eight carbons per molecule and is a component of gasoline. The hydrocarbon polyethylene contains hundreds of carbon and hydrogen atoms per molecule. Polyethylene is a plastic used to make many items, including milk containers and plastic bags. |
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| Hydrocarbons also differ from one another in the way the carbon atoms connect to each other. Below figure shows the three hydrocarbons n–pentane, iso–pentane, and neo–pentane. These hydrocarbons all have the same molecular formula, C5H12, but are structurally different from one another. The carbon framework of n–pentane is a chain of five carbon atoms. In iso–pentane, the carbon chain branches so that the framework is a four–carbon chain branched at the second carbon. In neo–pentane, a central carbon atom is bonded to four surrounding carbon atoms. |
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