community
directory
books
authors
images
encyclopedia

Email:
Password:
Register

Knowledgerush Search

 

Google
  Web knowledgerush


Search for images of Hydrocarbons


Message boards   Post comment

Hydrocarbons

In chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting only of carbon and hydrogen. They all consist of carbon backbone and atoms of hydrogen attached to that backbone.

There are basically three types of hydrocarbons: saturated hydrocarbons, which don't have double, triple or aromatic bonds, unsaturated hydrocarbons, which have one or more double or triple bonds between carbon atoms, and aromatic hydrocarbons, which have at least one aromatic ring in addition to whatever bonds they have.

Unsaturated hydrocarbons are divided into

Liquid geologically-extracted hydrocarbons are referred to as petroleum (literally "rock oil") while gaseous geologic hydrocarbons are referred to as natural gas. Both are significant sources of fuel and raw materials as a feedstock for the production of organic chemicals and are commonly found in the subsurface using the tools of petroleum geology.

Hydrocarbons are of prime economic importance because they encompass the constituents of the major fossil fuels, petroleum and natural gas, as well as plastics, waxes, and oils. In urban pollution, these components--along with NOx and sunlight--contribute to the formation of tropospheric ozone.

Referenced By

Mars meteorite | Mars meteorites | Martian meteorite

 

Compose Your Message

Your Email Address or Pen Name (optional):
Subject:
Your Message:
 

 

 

Hydrocarbons
Anonymous - January 4th, 2005
alkanes
read more »       messages 1
 

 

 

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hydrocarbons".

 

Contact UsPrivacy Statement & Terms of Use

 
Copyright © 1999-2003 Knowledgerush.com. All rights reserved.