The entropies and related properties of branched paraffin hydrocarbons

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...

The process of surrounding a solute with solvent is called solvation. It involves evenly distributing the solute within the solvent. The rule of thumb for determining a solvent for a given compound is that like dissolves like. A good solvent has molecular characteristics similar to those of the compound to be dissolved. For example, polar solutions dissolve polar solutes, and apolar solvents dissolve apolar solutes. A polar solvent is a solvent that has a high dielectric constant (ϵ ≥ 15); an...

In the late 19th-century, the number of new chemical compounds discovered increased tremendously. Hence, the necessity arose to develop a naming system for the systematic nomenclature of these newly discovered compounds. IUPAC (International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry), established in 1919, sets rules for the nomenclature.
The alkane nomenclature considers the length of the carbon chain, the number, and the location of the substituent to arrive at its systematic name. The IUPAC...

Organic compounds of the same molecular formula can have different structural formulas called constitutional isomers, and the phenomenon is known as constitutional isomerism. Alkanes with four or more carbons showing multiple structures with the same molecular formula thereby exhibit constitutional isomerism.
The linear isomer of an alkane is prefixed by the term “n”; hence a linear isomer of pentane is known as n-pentane. Based on the type of branching, some of the branched isomers are given...

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...