Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Preparation of Carbon Nanosheets at Room Temperature
10:44

Preparation of Carbon Nanosheets at Room Temperature

Published on: March 8, 2016

Spreading and two-dimensional mobility of long-chain alkanes at solid/gas interfaces

Paul Lazar1, H Schollmeyer, H Riegler

  • 1Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung, Am Mühlenberg, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany.

Physical Review Letters
|May 21, 2005
PubMed

More Related Videos

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets06:26

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Published on: May 15, 2017

Visually Based Characterization of the Incipient Particle Motion in Regular Substrates: From Laminar to Turbulent Conditions11:51

Visually Based Characterization of the Incipient Particle Motion in Regular Substrates: From Laminar to Turbulent Conditions

Published on: February 22, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Physical Properties of Alkanes02:33

Physical Properties of Alkanes

Alkanes are nonpolar molecules due to the presence of only carbon and hydrogen atoms. The electronegativity difference between carbon and hydrogen is minimal, and hence alkanes have a zero dipole moment. This leads to the presence of only dispersion forces between the molecules. The strength of dispersion forces is dependent on the surface area of the molecules on which they act. Since the surface area increases with the molecular length for straight-chain alkanes, the dispersion forces also...
Combustion Energy: A Measure of Stability in Alkanes and Cycloalkanes02:14

Combustion Energy: A Measure of Stability in Alkanes and Cycloalkanes

The low reactivity in alkanes can be attributed to the non-polar nature of C–C and C–H σ bonds. Alkanes, therefore, were  initially termed as “paraffins,” derived from the Latin words: parum, meaning “too little,” and affinis, meaning “affinity.”
Alkanes undergo combustion in the presence of excess oxygen and high-temperature conditions to give carbon dioxide and water. A combustion reaction is the energy source in natural gas, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), fuel oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, and...
Structure and Bonding of Alkenes02:47

Structure and Bonding of Alkenes

Olefins, which are unsaturated hydrocarbons containing one or more carbon–carbon double bonds, are broadly divided into alkenes and cycloalkenes. The general chemical formula of an alkene is CnH2n.
Doubly bonded carbons are sp2 hybridized and have a trigonal planar geometry. The double bond is composed of a σ bond formed by the overlap of hybrid orbitals and a π bond produced by the lateral overlap of unhybridized 2p orbitals on both the carbons. Each carbon atom is bonded to two hydrogen atoms...
Structure of Alkanes02:23

Structure of Alkanes

The formation of carbon-carbon bonds leading to the creation of the carbon chain is the basis of organic chemistry. August Kekulé and Archibald Scott Couper independently developed this idea of carbon chain formation.
Hydrocarbons are the simplest organic compounds composed of carbons and hydrogens. Based on the bond order between carbons, the hydrocarbons are further classified into alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes. 
Alkanes are the simplest hydrocarbons with sp3 hybrid carbon atoms. These sp3...
Relative Stabilities of Alkenes01:59

Relative Stabilities of Alkenes

The relative stability of alkenes can be determined by comparing their heats of hydrogenation. The lower heat of hydrogenation indicates the more stable alkene.  The three main factors determining the relative stability of alkenes are i) the number of substituents attached to the double-bond carbon atoms, ii) hyperconjugation, and iii) the stereochemistry of the double bond.
Mass Spectrometry: Long-Chain Alkane Fragmentation01:18

Mass Spectrometry: Long-Chain Alkane Fragmentation

The molecular ions of linear alkanes prefer to fragment at the carbon-carbon bond away from the end of the chain since the cleavage of an inner bond creates a stable carbocation and a stable radical. Consequently, the mass signals of linear alkanes feature intense peaks in the middle of the mass-to-charge ratio plot with weaker peaks on either end. The fragmentation of each carbon-carbon bond with the release of a methyl group in each splitting leads to prominent peaks in the mass spectra...