All About Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons are the simplest organic compounds. Containing only hydrogen and carbon atoms, and it can bond to form long chains or branched chains. The different types of hydrocarbons include Alkanes, Alkenes and Alkynes.

 

Hydrocarbons are the most widely used organic compounds. They are generally used as fuel for combustion. They may come from engine exhaust, oil refineries and oil-fueled power plants. The combustion of hydrocarbons generates large quantities of heat to be used to generate electricity in our houses.They also serve as raw materials for the production of plastics, pharmaceuticals, and explosives. 

 WHAT ARE ALKANES?

Alkanes are the simplest hydrocarbon consisting of only carbon and hydrogen atoms which all bonds are single bond. It conforms to the general formula, CnH2n+2. The simplest alkane is methane, with a chemical formula of CH4. Alkanes are not very reactive and have little biological activity. All alkanes are colorless and odorless. The two most important sources of alkanes are natural gas and crude oil. 

   

BENEFITS

• Natural Gas - main components are methane and ethane, used mainly for heating and cooking purposes
• Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) - also referred to as simply propane or butane, are used in the propane gas burner and in disposable cigarette lighters, respectively.
• Aerosol Sprays - contain haloalkane, and mixtures of volatile hydrocarbons, typically propane, butane and isobutane.
• Lubricants - main components are alkanes from hexadecane upwards, used for heating or cooling surfaces and work at the same time as anti-corrosive agents.

                         

     RISKS

• Pollution :

Water Pollution - due to improper disposal of hydrocarbon emissions that contaminate the area and affects marine life

Air Pollution - incomplete combustion that leads to production of carbon monoxide, and further chemicals released that are also hazardous air pollutants

• Greenhouse Gases - cause of the release of carbon monoxide, a toxic gas, due to the burning of LPG, which is currently derived from mainly of fossil fuels.
• Health Concerns - can result to various heart diseases, respiratory diseases, such as asphyxiation, the condition of being deprived of oxygen, being carcinogenic wherein a substance has the potential to cause cancer in living tissues and even death.

 

WHAT ARE ALKENES?

Alkenes are the second type of hydrocarbons, also known as olefins. Alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons with one or more double bonds between carbon atoms. It conforms to the general formula, CnH2n. Since alkenes are double bonded, they have two hydrogen atoms less than the corresponding alkane. The simplest alkene, ethylene or ethene, is produced on the largest scale industrially. Alkenes are relatively stable compounds and are more reactive than alkanes. They also serve as a feedstock for the petrochemical industry because they can participate in a wide variety of reactions, prominently in polymerization and alkylation.

      BENEFITS

• Plastics :

Polyethylene - also known as polyethene, the most common plastic and its primary use is packaging such as plastic bags, plastic films, containers including bottles, etc.

Polypropylene - also known as polypropene, a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, labeling, textiles, stationary, etc.

Polyvinyl chloride - commonly abbreviated PVC, the third-most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer, after polyethylene and polypropylene, applications in construction for pipe, plumbing, electrical cable insulation, signage, imitation leather, and other uses.

Polytetrafluoroethylene - best known brand name is Teflon by DuPont Co., which discovered the compound. It is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications, used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware, as a lubricant and a graft material in surgical interventions.

          

• Industrial Importance - the most important alkenes for the chemical industry are ethene, propene and 1,3-butadiene to produce plastics, alcohol and synthetic rubber, respectively.

   RISKS

• Environmental Pollution - alkenes are used as fuels in industries which when burnt, it release toxic gases polluting the environment. 
• Non-renewable Resources - such as fuels and plastics

WHAT ARE ALKYNES?

                 

Alkynes are the third type of hydrocarbons. Alkynes are also unsaturated hydrocarbons with at least one triple bond between carbon atoms. It conforms to the general formula, CnH2n-2. Alkynes are traditionally known as acetylenes, refers specifically to C2H2, known formally as ethyne, the simplest alkyne. They are generally hydrophobic but tend to be more reactive. They are also characteristically more unsaturated than alkenes.

   BENEFITS

• Acetylene : 

Oxyacetylene Welding - popular welding process for welding pipes and tubes and repair work since oxyacetylene is the hottest burning common fuel gas. It may also be used in areas where electricity is not readily accessible

Portable Lighting - Calcium carbide was used to generate acetylene used in the lamps for portable or remote applications. by miners and cavers before the widespread use of incandescent lighting. It was also used as an early light source for lighthouses.

Carburization - a heat treatment process using a source of carbon for iron or steel to increase the surface hardness

   

   RISKS

• Drugs containing alkynes - instances due to bioactivation of a drug such as ethinylestradiol, mifepristone, and efavirenz.

Calicheamicin - most aggressive anti-tumor drugs known, highly reactive radical intermediates that attack DNA within the tumor 

• Electrophilic reactions of alkynes