Carbon is special. It can bond to four other atoms at once, and it loves bonding to other carbon atoms. This lets it form chains — short chains, long chains, branched chains, rings...
The alkanes are the simplest family of carbon compounds. They're like the "basic" hydrocarbons — just carbon and hydrogen, with only single bonds. Methane (natural gas), propane (BBQ gas), and petrol are all alkanes!
Alkanes are like a chain of people holding hands! Each carbon (person) can hold hands with 4 others. In a chain, they hold two carbons and fill the rest with hydrogens. The longer the chain, the stronger the forces between molecules — that's why longer alkanes have higher boiling points (they "stick together" more)!
This introduction covers The Simplest Carbon Family within Alkanes for GCSE Chemistry. Topic 38: Alkanes It is section 1 of 12 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Alkanes
What is the general formula for the alkane homologous series?
Explain why the boiling point of alkanes increases as the chain length increases.