Natural gas, camping gas and lighter fuel all contain alkanes. The table shows information about some alkanes.
| Alkane | Formula | Boiling point / °C |
|---|---|---|
| methane | CH4\mathrm{CH_{4}}CH4 | −162 |
| ethane | C2H6\mathrm{C_{2}H_{6}}C2H6 | −89 |
| propane | C3H8\mathrm{C_{3}H_{8}}C3H8 | −42 |
| butane | −1 | |
| pentane | C5H12\mathrm{C_{5}H_{12}}C5H12 | 36 |
| hexane | C6H14\mathrm{C_{6}H_{14}}C6H14 |
Give the formula of butane.
The general formula of the alkanes is CnH2n+2\mathrm{C_{n}H_{2n+2}}CnH2n+2. Give the formula of the alkane with 9 carbon atoms.
Predict the boiling point of hexane.
The melting point of pentane is −130 °C. Predict the state of pentane at 25 °C. Give a reason for your answer.
The alkanes form a homologous series. Give two features of a homologous series, other than having the same general formula.
37 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 9.1 Fuels, covering 9.1.1 Hydrocarbons and crude oil, 9.1.2 Fractional distillation of crude oil and its fractions, 9.1.3 The alkanes as a homologous series, 9.1.4 Complete and incomplete combustion, 9.1.5 Pollutants from burning fuels, 9.1.6 Hydrogen as a fuel and non-renewable fossil fuels, and 9.1.7 Cracking of larger alkanes. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.