Alkanes form a homologous series. The table shows the boiling points of the first four 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 | C4H10\mathrm{C_{4}H_{10}}C4H10 | −1 |
Give the general formula of the alkanes.
Hexadecane is an alkane with 34 hydrogen atoms in each molecule. Give the number of carbon atoms in each molecule of hexadecane.
On a winter morning the temperature is −10 °C. A camping stove that uses butane does not work well, but a stove that uses propane works well.
Use the data in the table to explain why.
Explain why the boiling points of the alkanes increase as the number of carbon atoms increases.
Describe the structure of a propane molecule in terms of its atoms and bonds.
Give one other feature that shows methane, ethane, propane and butane are members of the same homologous series.
36 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 10.2 Hydrocarbons, covering 10.2.1 Formulae and structures of the alkanes, 10.2.2 Alkenes and the C=C functional group, 10.2.3 Addition reactions of alkenes and testing for unsaturation, and 10.2.4 Combustion of alkanes and alkenes. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.