Hydrocarbon Materials
You must have heard the name or word hydrocarbon many times since your school days. This word is one of the most used in the chemistry, petrochemical, and oil industry, and every engineer in this field should be familiar with its meaning. This article will give you more information about hydrocarbon and its types.
Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons are compounds containing hydrogen and carbon, components of crude oil and natural gas. These compounds are used in fuels, lubricants, as well as raw materials for plastics, fibers, explosives, and industrial chemicals.
Hydrocarbons are found in abundance in nature. In addition to fossil fuels, they are also found in trees and plants. For example, these substances exist in the form of colors called carotene in carrots and green leaves.
Based on tests and research and according to the characteristics of hydrocarbons, they have been divided into two main categories, which include aliphatic and aromatic.
Based on the type of carbon bonds, aliphatics include three main categories:
- Alkanes: contain carbon-carbon single bonds,
- Alkenes: contain carbon-carbon double bonds,
- Alkynes: contain carbon-carbon triple bonds.
Aromatics are aromatic compounds that are divided into two categories:
- benzene aromatics, including benzene ring in their molecular structure,
- aromatics without benzene ring.
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A hydrocarbon molecule can often contain two or more families of these substances. For example, a molecule containing a
carbon-carbon triple bond and a benzene ring exhibits properties similar to alkynes and aromatics.
