Basic Organic Chemistry

[Robert Myers <rmyers@wvit.wvnet.edu>]

At the risk of boring everyone completely:

methane = CH4  Number of carbons = 1
ethane = CH3-CH3  2
propane = CH3-CH2-CH3  3
butane = CH3-CH2-CH2-CH3  4
pentane = 5
hexane = 6
heptane = 7
octane = 8 "Normal" octane = CH3-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH3
nonane = 9
decane = 10
undecane = 11 [un(1) + decane(10) = 11]
dodecane = 12 [do(2) + decane (10) =12]
tridecane = 13
tetradecane = 14
etc.
eicosane = 20

FYI, Bob, cetane = 16 the name is from an archaic naming system and is an
appropriate fuel for a diesel engine.

Normal octane is LOUSY fuel for any automobile.  The "Octane" of the octane
rating is 2,2,4-trimethyl pentane (commonly called "isooctane").

    CH3   CH3
    |     |
CH3-C-CH2-CH-CH3
    |
    CH3

The other component is n-heptane.  A fuel mixture of God knows what mixture
performs in a "standard engine" as if it were a mixture of 93% "isooctane"
and 7% n-heptane.  Therefore it is rated as 93 octane, no matter what its
actual composition is.

There are fuels better than "isooctane" their performance is extrapolated
for ratings like 105 octane or 110 octane.

Replacement of a -H with an -OH in one of these compounds results in the
formation of an alcohol.  The name changes to drop the final "e" and add
"ol".  Thus methane CH4 becomes methanol CH3-OH and ethane CH3-CH3 becomes
ethanol CH3-CH2-OH.

At 05:06 PM 2/15/96 -0500, you wrote:
>On Thu, 15 Feb 1996, Psycho Bob wrote:
>
>> 
>> It notes how many carbons are in the chain:
>> 
>> methanol -- 1 carbon alcohol
>> ethanol -- 2 carbon alcohol
>> propanol -- 3 carbon alcohol
>> butanol -- 4 carbon alcohol
>> ...
>
>pentane---5
>hexane---6
>cetane---7  isnt this 'diesel fuel'??
>octane----8 That one should sound familiar...
>

___
	Bob 
********************************************************************
*  Robert L. Myers                        <rmyers@wvit.wvnet.edu>  *
*  Chair, Department of Chemistry          304-442-3358 (office)   *
*  West Virginia Institute of Technology   304-574-2372 (home)     *
*  Montgomery, WV  25136                   304-442-3109 (secretary)*
*            Obligatory Quattro and Sleddog Content:               *
*        My Siberian Huskies like to ride in my '89 200TQ          *
********************************************************************