Icosane (alternative spelling eicosane) is an
alkane
In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in which ...
with the
chemical formula C
20H
42. It has 366,319
constitutional isomers.
Icosane has little use in the
petrochemical industry, as its high
flash point
The flash point of a material is the "lowest liquid temperature at which, under certain standardized conditions, a liquid gives off vapours in a quantity such as to be capable of forming an ignitable vapour/air mixture". (EN 60079-10-1)
The fl ...
makes it an inefficient fuel. ''n''-Icosane (the straight-chain structural
isomer
In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formulae – that is, same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomerism is existence or possibility of isomers.
Iso ...
of icosane) is the shortest compound found in
paraffin waxes used to form candles.
Icosane's size, state or chemical inactivity does not exclude it from the traits its smaller alkane counterparts have. It is a colorless, non-polar
molecule, nearly unreactive except when it burns. It is less dense than and insoluble in water. Its non-polar trait means it can only perform weak
intermolecular bonding (
hydrophobic/
van der Waals forces).
Icosane's phase transition at a moderate temperature makes it a candidate
phase change material, or PCM which can be used to store thermal energy and control temperature.
It can be detected in the body odor of persons suffering from
Parkinson's disease.
Naming
IUPAC currently recommends icosane,
whereas
Chemical Abstracts Service and
Beilstein use eicosane.
References
External links
Icosaneat Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
{{Alkanes
Alkanes