Decane is an
alkane hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...
with the
chemical formula
A chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, such as pare ...
C
10H
22. Although 75 structural
isomer
In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formula – that is, the same number of atoms of each element (chemistry), element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. ''Isomerism'' refers to the exi ...
s are possible for decane, the term usually refers to the normal-decane ("''n''-decane"), with the formula CH
3(CH
2)
8CH
3. All isomers, however, exhibit similar properties and little attention is paid to the composition.
These isomers are
flammable liquid
Liquid is a state of matter with a definite volume but no fixed shape. Liquids adapt to the shape of their container and are nearly incompressible, maintaining their volume even under pressure. The density of a liquid is usually close to th ...
s. Decane is present in small quantities (less than 1%) in
gasoline
Gasoline ( North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When for ...
(petrol) and
kerosene. Like other alkanes, it is a
nonpolar solvent, and does not dissolve in
water
Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
, and is readily combustible. Although it is a component of
fuel
A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...
s, it is of little importance as a chemical feedstock, unlike a handful of other alkanes.
Reactions
Decane undergoes
combustion
Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combustion ...
, just like other
alkanes. In the presence of sufficient oxygen, it burns to form
water
Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
and
carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...
.
:2 C
10H
22 + 31 O
2 → 20 CO
2 + 22 H
2O
With insufficient oxygen,
carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the si ...
is also formed.
It can be manufactured in the laboratory without fossil fuels.
[https://patents.google.com/patent/CN101987805A/en]
Physical properties
It has a
surface tension of 0.0238 N·m
−1.
Website of Krüss
'' (8.10.2009)
See also
*
Higher alkanes
*
List of isomers of decane
References
External links
*
Material Safety Data Sheet for Decane
{{Hydrides by group
Alkanes