Hexadecane

Hexadecane[1]
IUPAC name	Hexadecane
Other names	Cetane n-Hexadecane
Identifiers
CAS number	[544-76-3]
PubChem	11006
EC number	208-878-9
SMILES	CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
InChI	1/C16H34/c1-3-5-7-9-11-13-15-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2/h3-16H2,1-2H3
ChemSpider ID	10540
Properties
Molecular formula	C16H34
Molar mass	226.44 g/mol
Melting point	18 °C, 291 K, 64 °F
Boiling point	287 °C, 560 K, 549 °F
Solubility in water	Insoluble
Hazards
Flash point	135 °C
Autoignition temperature	201 °C
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Hexadecane (also called cetane) is an alkane hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C₁₆H₃₄. Hexadecane consists of a chain of 16 carbon atoms, with three hydrogen atoms bonded to the two end carbon atoms, and two hydrogens bonded to each of the 14 other carbon atoms. It has 10,359 constitutional isomers.

Cetane is often used as a short-hand for cetane number, a measure of the detonation of diesel fuel. Cetane ignites very easily under compression; for this reason, it is assigned a cetane number of 100, and serves as a reference for other fuel mixtures.

It has one of the lowest octane numbers, at <−30. ^[2]

See also

• Cetane number
• Cetane index
• Isocetane

References

1. ^ Material safety data sheet for hexadecane
2. ^ http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/1organic/coal.html

External links

• Vapor pressure and liquid density calculation