Question

What is a hydrocarbon? What is the difference between a saturated hydrocarbon and an unsaturated hydrocarbon? Distinguish between normal and branched hydrocarbons.

Short answer

Hydrocarbons are a category of organic substances with only hydrogen and carbon atoms, which has been researched extensively in organic chemistry.

A crucial distinction between a saturated and an unsaturated hydrocarbon is the sort of atomic bond they have.

Straight chains do not exist in all hydrocarbons. Branched hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons that have branches of carbon atoms connected to a chain.

Step-by-step solution

Definition of hydrocarbons

A compound containing only hydrogen-carbon (C-H) atoms is termed as a hydrocarbon. It is used in petroleum and natural gas. The carbon and hydrogen atoms link and form the framework of a compound.

Examples of hydrocarbons: Methane, ethane, propane, etc.

Step 2: Differentiate between a saturated and an unsaturated hydrocarbon

The differences are given below.

Step 3: Differentiate between a normal and branched hydrocarbon

Normal hydrocarbons contain a straight bond chain, whereas branched hydrocarbons have branches that split off from the main branch.

All the carbon atoms in normal hydrocarbons are adjacent to one or two other carbon atoms.

All the carbon atoms in branched hydrocarbons are adjacent to three or four other carbon atoms.

The example of pentane and iso pentane is given below.

Representation of straight and branched hydrocarbon