Chapter 11 notes

Hydrocarbons

Textbook exercise solved short questions.

Short Questions

Short Question Answers (Exercise)

Q.1 (Ex Q2 (i)) Differentiate between an organic and an inorganic compound.

Ans.

Organic CompoundInorganic Compound
These are the compounds which contain covalently bonded carbon as an essential component.These compounds are made up of almost all elements of periodic table except those compounds of carbon and hydrogen (hydrocarbons).
They are found in living things i.e., plants and animals.They are found in non-living things i.e., rocks and minerals
For example: carbohydrates and proteins.For example: NaCl and CaCO₃.
Q.2 (Ex Q2 (ii)) Why are organic compounds found in large number?

Ans. Organic compounds are found in large numbers due to unique properties of carbon.

i. The self-linking property of carbon called catenation is responsible for the existence of large number of organic compounds ranging from short to very long chains and large rings.

ii. Due to small size of carbon that can form strong bonds with the small atoms like hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen etc.

Illustration (added)
C C C C straight chain C C C C branched chain ring Catenation: carbon links to itself
Catenation lets carbon atoms bond to one another to build long chains, branched chains and rings.
Q.3 (Ex Q2 (iii)) Name the products which are obtained when natural gas is oxidized under controlled conditions.

Ans. When natural gas is oxidized under controlled conditions the products depends upon the degree & oxidation and reaction condition such as temperature, pressure and catalyst etc. Excess supply of oxygen gives CO₂, H₂O & with heat.

CH₄ + 2O₂ ⟶ CO₂ + 2H₂O + Heat

Q.4 (Ex Q2 (iv)) How naphtha fraction is decomposed to give lower hydrocarbons?

Ans. Fractional distillation of petroleum gives naphtha which consists of a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons. It is then heated at around 500°C in the presence of catalyst called zeolite to give Hydrocarbons which have five to ten carbon atoms.

Naphtha —Heat/Zeolite→ Alkanes and alkenes containing 5 to 10 carbon atoms (Mixture of hydrocarbons)

Q.5 (Ex Q2 (v)) Write down the molecular formula, structured formula and the condensed structural formula for iso-butane.

Ans. The molecular formula of iso-butane is C₄H₁₀.

The structural formula of iso-butane is:

H​​​  H    H
H–C–C–C–H
   H    H
      H–C–H
        H

The condensed formula of iso-butane is:

H₃C–CH–CH₃
  |
  CH₃

Illustration (added)
C H CH₃ CH₃ CH₃ iso-butane (2-methylpropane), C₄H₁₀
Iso-butane's central carbon is bonded to one hydrogen and three methyl (CH₃) groups, giving a branched skeleton.
Q.6 (Ex Q2 (vi)) How are organic compounds useful for us?

Ans. Organic compounds are useful for us in many ways such as:

  • They are major constituents of our diet as carbohydrates, proteins and fats etc.
  • The clothes we wear are made up of natural or synthetic fibre which are organic compounds.
  • Fossil fuels used to run transport industry contain hydrocarbons which are organic compounds.
Q.7 (Ex Q2 (vii)) Write down the names of five such organic compounds which exist naturally.

Ans. Five naturally occurring organic compounds are:

1. Methane   2. Glucose   3. Citric acid   4. Starch   5. Nucleic acids (DNA & RNA)

Q.8 (Ex Q2 (viii)) Give IUPAC name to the following compound.

CH₃–CH–CH₂–CH₃
  |
  CH₃

Ans. The longest continuous chain contain four carbon singly bonded to each other. So, its root name will be But– and suffix will be –ane. 2-methyl butane / Iso-pentane.

Q.9 (Ex Q2 (ix)) How do the melting and boiling points of alkanes change when we move from lower members to higher members?

Ans. When we move from lower to higher member of alkanes their melting and boiling points increase because of increase in molecular size there is increase in the attractive forces among molecules.

Illustration (added)
number of carbon atoms → boiling point → CH₄ C₂H₆ C₃H₈ C₄H₁₀ C₅H₁₂ Boiling point rises with molecular size
As alkane chains get longer, molecular size and intermolecular attraction increase, so the boiling point steadily rises.

Practice Question Answers (Exercise)

Q.10 What do you understand by the term structural formula of an organic compound?

Ans. Structural formula of a compound represents the exact arrangement of the different atoms of various elements present in a molecule of a substance, e.g. Structural formula of butane is (n-butane):

H–C–C–C–C–H (each carbon bonded to appropriate hydrogens, n-butane)

Q.11 Name the following compounds according to IUPAC system of nomenclature.

Ans.

(i) (CH₃)₂CH–CH–CH₂–CH₃ with CH₃ branch
The longest continuous chain has five carbons singly bonded and two methyl groups are attached at carbon number two and three. So, name will be 2,3-dimethyl pentane.

(ii) (CH₃)₂CH–CH₂–CH₃
The longest continuous chain has four carbons singly bonded and one methyl groups are attached at carbon number two. So, name will be 2-methyl butane.

Q.12 Draw the structural formula of the following saturated compounds. C₂H₅Br, CH₃NH₂, CH₃CH₂OH

Ans.

C₂H₅Br: H–C(H)(H)–C(H)(H)–Br

CH₃NH₂: H–C(H)(H)(H)–N(H)(H)

CH₃CH₂OH: H–C(H)(H)–C(H)(H)–O–H

Q.13 How many methyl and methylene groups are present in each of the above compounds?

Ans. Methane has only one methyl (CH₃–) group. Ethane has two methyl (CH₃–) groups & propane has two methyl (CH₃–) and one methylene (–CH₂–) group.

Q.14 In the reduction of alkyl halides with Zn / HCl, alkyl halide is being reduced. Which species in this reaction is being oxidized?

Ans. During the reduction of alkyl halides using Zn/HCl, Hydrogen is oxidized.

R–X + 2[H] —Zn/HCl→ R–H + H–X

Q.15 During the combustion reaction of ethane, which bonds are being broken & which are being formed?

Ans. 2C₂H₆ + 7O₂ ⟶ 4CO₂ + 6H₂O + Heat

C to C, C to H and O to O bonds are broken and C to O and H to O bonds are formed.

Q.16 What products other than CH₃Cl are formed methane reacts with chlorine gas?

Ans. When methane reacts with chlorine gas, a series of reactions takes place as:

CH₄ + Cl₂ —hν→ CH₃Cl + HCl
CH₃Cl + Cl₂ —hν→ CH₂Cl₂ + HCl
CH₂Cl₂ + Cl₂ —hν→ CHCl₃ + HCl
CHCl₃ + Cl₂ —hν→ CCl₄ + HCl

CH₂Cl₂, CHCl₃ and CCl₄ are formed along with CH₃Cl.

Illustration (added)
CH₄ +Cl₂, hν −HCl ⟶ CH₃Cl +Cl₂, hν −HCl ⟶ CH₂Cl₂ +Cl₂, hν −HCl ⟶ CHCl₃ +Cl₂, hν ⟶ CCl₄ (each step replaces one more H with Cl)
Methane is chlorinated one hydrogen at a time, giving CH₃Cl, then CH₂Cl₂, CHCl₃ and finally CCl₄.

SLO Based Additional Short Questions

Hydrocarbons

Q.17 What are hydrocarbons?

Ans. Hydrocarbons are organic compounds of carbon and hydrogen elements. They are alkanes, alkenes, alkynes and aromatics. e.g: CH₄, C₂H₆ etc.

Q.18 Why are hydrocarbons considered as parent organic compounds?

Ans. Hydrocarbons are those compounds which are made up of only carbon and hydrogen elements.

Hydrocarbons are regarded as the parent organic compounds since other organic compounds are considered to be derived from them by replacing of one or more hydrogen atoms by other atoms or group of atoms.

Q.19 What does LPG & CNG stands for?

Ans. CNG stands for compressed natural gas and LPG stands for liquified petroleum gas.

Q.20 Write categories of hydrocarbons.

Ans. Hydrocarbons are classified structurally as:

  • Alkanes
  • Alkenes
  • Alkynes
  • Aromatics

Alkanes

Q.21 Define alkanes and give one example.

Ans. Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons in which all the carbon atoms are connected by only single covalent bond.

Examples: Methane (CH₄) and Ethane (C₂H₆).

The general formula of alkanes is CnH2n+2

Q.22 Which property of alkanes make them distinct from other compounds?

Ans. This distinguishing feature of alkanes make them district from other compounds is their lack of reactivity towards usual chemical reagents.

Q.23 Which is the simplest alkane & Give its uses?

Ans. The simplest hydrocarbons are alkanes, while simplest alkane is methane having formula CH₄.

Uses: It is mainly used as a fuel but it is also used to make hydrogen gas, carbon black, carbon disulphide, chloroform, hydrocyanic acid, etc.

Q.24 Give the structural formula of Isopentane and isobutane.

Ans. Isopentane: H–C(H)(H)–C(H)(H)–C(H)(CH₃)–C(H)(H)–H (five-carbon chain with a methyl branch)

Isobutane: H–C(H)(H)–C(H)(CH₃)–C(H)(H)–H (three-carbon chain with a methyl branch)

Q.25 Why are the alkanes called paraffins?

Ans. Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons. In these compounds all the bonds of carbon atoms are single that means valencies of carbon atoms are fully satisfied (saturated). Therefore they are least reactive. That is the reason alkanes are called paraffins.

Q.26 IUPAC stands for?

Ans. IUPAC stands for International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

Q.27 Describe three parts of IUPAC name of organic compound.

Ans. (i) Root: It tells us the number of carbon atoms in the longest continuous chain present in the molecule.

(ii) Suffix: It is added after the root and tells us about the class of organic compounds.

(iii) Prefix: It is indicated before the root and tells us about the group or groups attached to the longest chain.

Illustration (added)
2-methyl Prefix (branch + position) but Root (chain length) ane Suffix (class of compound) 2-methylbutane
An IUPAC name breaks down into a prefix (substituents), a root (main chain length) and a suffix (compound class).
Q.28 Write dot and cross structure of methane, ethane and propane.

Ans. Dot and Cross structures of Alkanes: Methane (HוC•×H with 4 H around C), Ethane (two carbons each sharing dot-cross pairs with 3 H and each other), Propane (three carbons in a chain, each sharing dot-cross electron pairs with H atoms and neighbouring carbons).

Preparation

Q.29 How are alkyl halides reduced?

Ans. Reduction means addition of nascent hydrogen. In fact, it is a replacement of a halogen atom with a hydrogen atom. This reaction takes place in the presence of Zn metal and HCl. e.g.

CH₃–Cl + 2[H] —Zn/HCl→ CH₃–H + H–Cl

What do you know about hydrogenation of alkenes?
Hydrogenation means addition of molecular hydrogen to an unsaturated hydrocarbon in presence of a catalyst (Ni, Pt) to form saturated compound e.g.

CH₂=CH₂ + H₂ —Ni,300°C→ CH₃–CH₃ (Ethene → Ethane)

Q.30 What is the importance of cracking of petroleum?

Ans. Cracking of petroleum helps balance the availability of petroleum fractions with the demand for them. When cracking transforms bigger hydrocarbons break up into smaller hydrocarbons. In this way, the fuel supply is increased, that helps to balance demand of supply.

Q.31 How is margarine produced?

Ans. Margarine is produced by adding molecular hydrogen to vegetable oil at 200°C in the presence of catalyst (Ni).

vegetable oil + H₂ —Ni,200°C→ Margarine

Greater the amount of hydrogen is added, the more solid the margarine becomes.

Important Reactions

Q.32 Why does the burning of alkanes require sufficient supply of oxygen?

Ans. Complete combustion takes place in excess of air or oxygen to produce CO₂, H₂O & large amount of heat.

CH₄ + 2O₂ ⟶ CO₂ + 2H₂O + Heat

Q.33 Why are the alkanes used as fuel? /How hydrocarbons act as a fuel? / How does combustion of methane take place? Describe the combustion process with equation.

Ans. Alkanes burn in the presence of excess of air or oxygen to produce a lot of heat, carbon dioxide and water. This reaction takes place in automobile combustion engines, domestic heaters and cooking appliances. It is highly exothermic reaction and because of it alkanes are used as fuel. e.g.

CH₄ + 2O₂ ⟶ CO₂ + 2H₂O + heat

Q.34 What are addition reactions? Explain with an example.

Ans: Those reactions in which products are formed by the addition of a substance like H₂, Cl₂, etc to an unsaturated hydrocarbon.

Example: Addition of hydrogen to an unsaturated hydrocarbon in the presence of catalyst (Ni, Pt) at 250–300°C.

CH₂=CH₂ + H₂ —Ni,200°C→ CH₃–CH₃ (Ethene → Ethane)

Q.36 What is substitution reaction?

Ans. Reaction which involves the replacement of hydrogen of alkanes by an atom or group of atoms like halogen are called substitution reaction.

e.g. CH₄ + Cl₂ —Diffused Sunlight→ CH₃Cl + HCl

Q.37 Why alkane not give addition reaction?

Ans. It is because in alkanes, valency of carbon is fully satisfied by forming single bond. Alkanes are saturated compounds that's why they do not give addition reaction.

Q.38 Give roots of first five carbon atoms.

Ans. Carbon 1 = Meth-
Carbon 2 = Eth-
Carbon 3 = prop-
Carbon 4 = But-
Carbon 5 = pent-

Q.39 How alkanes are prepared?

Ans. Alkanes are prepared by:

1. Cracking of higher Hydrocarbons
2. Reduction of alkenes and alkynes

Q.40 How alkynes are reduced?

Ans. Alkynes are reduced with nascent hydrogen in presence of catalyst Ni at temperature of 200°C.

Q.41 Why alkanes are considered non-polar?

Ans. Alkanes contain carbon and hydrogen. The electronegativity values of carbon (2.6) and hydrogen (2.1) do not differ appreciably and the bonding electrons between C-H and C-C are almost equally shared. This make alkane non-polar.

Constructed Response Questions

Q.1 (Ex. Q.3 (i)) Why do alkanes show little reactivity towards the other reagents?

Ans. The unreactivity of alkanes may be explained on the basis of the strength of single bond which is difficult to break. A significant amount of energy is required to break these bond for a reaction to occur.

Q.2 (Ex. Q.3 (ii)) Why does a mixture of natural gas and air explode?

Ans. Natural gas primarily contain methane which is very flammable. (gives combustion reaction readily when ignited) that is why mixture of natural gas and air explode and a large amount of heat is released along with CO₂ and water vapours:

CH₄(g) + 2O₂(g) ⟶ CO₂(g) + 2H₂O(g) + Heat

Q.3 (Ex. Q.3 (iii)) How do you compare the melting and boiling points of inorganic and organic compounds?

Ans. Organic compounds are molecular in nature and have weak intermolecular forces, having covalent bond so generally organic compounds have low melting and boiling points. On the other hand inorganic compounds mostly contain ionic bonds and have strong attractive forces. So inorganic compounds have comparatively high melting and boiling points.

Q.4 (Ex. Q.3 (iv)) Reactions of alkanes with chlorine takes place in the presence of sunlight. / What is the role of sunlight in the reaction.

Ans. Reactions of alkanes with chlorine follow free radical mechanism. Sunlight fall on Cl₂ molecule and generates a chlorine free radical which attack on alkane molecule to form alkyl halide. That is why sunlight is quite necessary for reaction of chlorine with alkane molecule.

Q.5 (Ex. Q.3 (v)) How do you compare the boiling point n–butane with that of iso-butane?

Ans. Straight chain structured compounds have strong intermolecular forces than branched chain compounds and hence higher boiling point. n-butane has straight chain of four carbon atoms. While iso-butane has straight chain three carbon atoms with one carbon as a branch. So, n-butane has higher boiling point than iso-butane.

Q.6 (Ex. Q.3 (vi)) Why are organic compounds not generally soluble in water?

Ans. Organic compounds are mostly non-polar in nature. According to general principle of solubility "like dissolve like" non-polar compounds are soluble in non-polar solvents while polar compounds are soluble in polar solvent. As water is a polar solvent, so generally organic compounds are not soluble in water.

Flashcards

Tap a card to flip it. All answers are the exact wording from the notes.

Tap to flip
Answer (verbatim)