Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
CARBON CHAINS
Carbon atoms bond to each other to form chains, a process known as
catenation
. Open chains:
aliphatic compounds
H
HH
HH
H
H
CCCCCC
H
hexane
H
HH
H
H
H
Closed chains or rings:
H
2
C
C
HC
HC
CH
H
2
C
H
2
C
CH
2
alicyclic or cycloaliphatic
aromatic
CH
CH
2
C
H
H
2
heterocyclic
H
2
C
O
H
2
C
H
2
C
CH
2
HC
HC
CH
H
2
C
H
2
C
CH
2
CH
2
CH
CH
2
H
O
S
piperidine
dioxane
thiophene
Carbon atoms can link up (bond) with other carbon atoms. When two carbons,
each with three hydrogens, bond together, it forms a compound called ethane,
H
C-CH
. Carbon atoms like to bond together to form chains — a process
3
3
called
catenation
. When the carbon chains are open chains, the compounds
are called
aliphatic
compounds. Closed chains (rings) are called
alicyclic
compounds, or
compounds. There are special ring compounds,
known as aromatic compounds
(Chapter 4),
or rings containing other ele-
ments such as oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur. Rings containing atoms other than
carbon are called
cycloaliphatic
heterocyclic
compounds.
