Hydrocarbons, specifically alkanes, are chains of carbon atoms surrounded by hydrogen atoms, with methane, ethane, propane, and butane being examples with 1 to 4 carbon atoms, respectively. Alkanes are generally unreactive with aqueous reagents due to the stability of their C-C and C-H bonds. The document also prompts readers to explore structural and molecular representations of alkanes and consider their reactions with oxygen.

1. Starter. What are hydrocarbons?

2. Alkanes. Methane has one carbon. Ethane has 2 carbons. Propane has 3 carbons. Butane has 4 carbons.

3. What is an Alkane? A family of hydrocarbons.

4. Alkanes are made up of chains of carbon atoms surrounded by hydrogen atoms. A carbon atom must have 4 bonds. Therefore it has 4 hydrogen bonds. The image above is methane as it has only 1 carbon atom.

5. These are the products of what? +

6. Ethane + Oxygen +

7. Alkanes are usually gases. CH 4 (g) Don’t forget state symbols.

8. Q: How do alkanes react with aqueous reagents? A: They don’t!

9. Why is there no reaction? Because the C-C bonds and the C-H bonds are unreactive.

10. Test your knowledge of Alkanes… What are alkanes? Write the structural, molecular representations of all four alkanes. What are the reactants of an Alkane and oxygen? Why are alkanes unreactive?