11/25/2018 Alkanes in Life

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Alkanes in Life
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This blog will show information about alkanes. But first let us analyze Hikaru Hikari

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This blog will show information about
alkanes. But...

Hydrocarbons
Most of the compounds in crude oil are hydrocarbons. This means that
they only contain hydrogen and carbon atoms, joined together by
chemical bonds. There are three different types of hydrocarbon, but
most of the ones in crude oil are alkanes.
As mentioned, there are three different types of hydrocarbon and
those are alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes. We will focus more on
alkanes.
Each of these atoms are linked together exclusively by single bonds.
The alkanes are a family of hydrocarbons that share the same general
formula. This is:

CnH2n+2

Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons. Saturated compound, as

mentioned is a chemical compound that are linked together exclusively
by single bonds.This makes them relatively unreactive, apart from their
reaction with oxygen in the air, which we call burning or combustion.

Alkyl Groups

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If a hydrogen is removed from an alkane, it can be used as a

substituent functional group called an alkyl group. Alkyl groups are
named by dropping the -ane suffix of the alkanes and adding the suffix
-yl.

Risks of Alkanes:
Alkanes may always benefit human needs in everyday life
but it can also harm human life even in nature too. In result, the
nature is affected and so we are. One of the most useful alkane is
methane. When being applied in life we should be more careful handling
it because it can easily explode.

1. Greenhouse Gases
Through combustion alkanes contributes huge amount of
carbon oxide. Anaerobic decomposition of plants and animal remains
contributes methane. Alkanes are converted to CFCs to be used as
propellants in aerosols and as refrigerant gases. It contributes 15-
20% to the greenhouse effect.

2. Less reactive than acids.

This is because the backbone carbon atoms in alkanes
have attained their octet of electrons through forming four covalent
bonds. They are saturated.To make alkanes react, the input of
additional energy is needed; either through heat or radiation. A lot of
energy is needed to break their bonds

Alkanes as generally very unreactive and their most important

reaction is combustion with oxygen.
eg:
octane-> hexane +ethene
Ethene is a very important alkene. It’s used to make ethanol and many
other important substances in industry.

3. Hazards of Alkanes
Alkanes produces asphxiation, potential carcinogen, flammable,
potential explosion hazard that can cause harm. Methane is also
considered as hazard because it can be explosive when mixed with air (1
– 8% CH4).

Benefits and Advantages of Alkanes:

Alkanes benefits human needs in their everyday life. It
seems to be present all the time. Even in nature alkanes occurs.

1. Good Fuel.
They're mostly used as fuel oils. For instances, butane is often
used in lighters and propane is often used for powering grills. Other
examples of alkane gases are methane, ethane, and propane but the most
commonly used is butane. Fossil fuels contain many different types of
alkanes as well as other organic molecules which makes them a sought
after fuel source.

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2. Higher Alkanes are good lubricants.

3. They are antiseptic for external use.

4. Chemical energy is easily released (used for power).

Alkanes Everywhere
In Biological Occurrence
Archaea are single-celled organisms lacking nuclei and are therefore
prokaryotes. It produces large quantities of methane by the metabolism
of carbon dioxide or other oxidised organic compounds.

Alkanes also play a role in biology of the three eukaryotic groups of

organisms: fungi, plants and animals. Some specialised yeasts, an
example is Candida tropicale, can use alkanes as a source of carbon
and/or energy. In plants it is the solid long-chain alkanes that are
found; they form a firm layer of wax, the cuticle, over areas of the
plant exposed to the air. This protects the plant against water loss,
while preventing the leaching of important minerals by the rain. It is
also a protection against bacteria, fungi and harmful insects — the
latter sink with their legs into the soft waxlike substance and have
difficulty moving. The shining layer on fruits such as apples consists
of long-chain alkanes.

Water forms droplets on a thin film of

alkane wax on the skin of the apple.

Ecological relations
Early spider orchid
One example in which both plant and animal alkanes play a role, is the
ecological relationship between the sand bee (Andrena nigroaenea) and
the early spider orchid (Ophrys sphegodes); the latter is dependent for
pollination on the former. Sand bees use pheromones in order to
identify a mate; in the case of A. nigroaenea, the females emit a
mixture of tricosane (C23H48), pentacosane (C25H52) and heptacosane
(C27H56) in the ratio 3:3:1, and males are attracted by specifically
this odor. The orchid takes advantage of this mating arrangement to get

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the male bee to collect and disseminate its pollen; parts of its flower
not only resemble the appearance of sand bees, but also produce large
quantities of the three alkanes in the same ratio as female sand bees.

Early spider orchid

Applications

Alkanes are very useful up to this day. The first four alkanes are used
mainly for heating and cooking purposes, and in some countries for
electricity generation. Methane and ethane are the main components of
natural gas; they are normally stored as gases under pressure. It is
however easier to transport them as liquids: this requires both
compression and cooling of the gas. Methane is the simplest possible
alkane (the parent molecule). Did you know that the candle wax is made
from alkane? All waxes used in candles are generally composed of
straight-chain alkanes.
Propane and butane can be liquefied at fairly low pressures, and are
well known as liquified petroleum gas (LPG). Propane, for example, is
used in the propane gas burner, butane in disposable cigarette
lighters. It’s like the main purpose of alkane is giving warmth and
fire to us. The two alkanes are used as propellants in aerosol sprays.

From pentane to octane the alkanes are reasonably volatile liquids.

They are used as fuels in internal combustion engines, as they vaporise
easily on entry into the combustion chamber without forming droplets
which would impair the unifomity of the combustion.

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Have you tried to have a spa to relax? How about relaxing and healing?
Did you know that in Azerbaijan, people bathe themselves at a warm
crude oil? According to locals, sitting in this liquid commodity is

great for one's health.

The oil "can heal more than seventy diseases, including neurological

diseases, skin conditions and impotence,"Hashim Hashimov, a medical

specialist at Naftalan Health Center in Baku, Azerbaijan told Reuters.

It is used for health therapy.

References:
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Alkane
http://www.wtert.eu/default.asp?Menue=13&ShowDok=12
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/organic/alkane.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/aqa_pre_2011/rocks/fuelsrev1.shtml
http://www.businessinsider.com/crude-oil-baths-in-azerbaijan-2015-7

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