Which paraffin wax (including the in-betweens)?
2C20H42 + 61O2 -> 40CO2 + 42H2O
:
C25H52 + 38O2 -> 25CO2 + 26H2O
:
2C36H74 + 109O2 -> 72CO2 + 74H2O
The chemical formula of wax can vary depending on the composition, but it is commonly a blend of long-chain hydrocarbons, such as C25H52. Waxes are esters of fatty acids and long-chain alcohols, making them nonpolar and water-resistant. They are solid at room temperature but can melt easily due to their low melting points.
For a straight-chain alkane, this would be C10H22 - decane. However, if this is a cyclic alkane, you would have C10H20 (cyclodecane). There are also numerous options for a branching alkane with various names and carbon to hydrogen ratios.
Paraffin wax is a colorless and translucent hard wax which is mainly composed of a mixture of alkanes. This mixture indicates solid straight-chain hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2.
Paraffin is a hydrocarbon, but the term applies to a "group" of molecules and not a specific one. The general formula applied to these alkanes is CnH2n+2, and the "series" of compounds begins with methane, CH4. In that example, there is a single carbon atom, and the number of hydrogens with it, according to the formula, is (2 x 1) + 2, or 4. After methane, we see ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8) and onward, with all molecules following the "rule" suggested with the CnH2n+2 expression. If the inquiry is one regarding paraffin wax, this is not a single molecule, either. It is any one or a combination of the paraffin molecules with n between 20 and 40. That means the molecules with have a molecular formula including C20H42 and C40H82, and also those that are "between" these two. C21H44, C22H46, and the rest will appear on your list, if you're making one. In case you didn't snap to it, as we begin to examine this group of compounds we'll find substances that are a gas at room temperature. On up the chain we'll encounter some that are liquids at ordinary temperatures. Then the larger, heavier molecules we find even further up will be solids at room temperature. A link can be found below to check facts and gather more information.
The chemical formula of wax can vary depending on the composition, but it is commonly a blend of long-chain hydrocarbons, such as C25H52. Waxes are esters of fatty acids and long-chain alcohols, making them nonpolar and water-resistant. They are solid at room temperature but can melt easily due to their low melting points.
For a straight-chain alkane, this would be C10H22 - decane. However, if this is a cyclic alkane, you would have C10H20 (cyclodecane). There are also numerous options for a branching alkane with various names and carbon to hydrogen ratios.
Hydrocarbons, if they contain only H and C.
Paraffin wax is a colorless and translucent hard wax which is mainly composed of a mixture of alkanes. This mixture indicates solid straight-chain hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2.
Paraffin is a hydrocarbon, but the term applies to a "group" of molecules and not a specific one. The general formula applied to these alkanes is CnH2n+2, and the "series" of compounds begins with methane, CH4. In that example, there is a single carbon atom, and the number of hydrogens with it, according to the formula, is (2 x 1) + 2, or 4. After methane, we see ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8) and onward, with all molecules following the "rule" suggested with the CnH2n+2 expression. If the inquiry is one regarding paraffin wax, this is not a single molecule, either. It is any one or a combination of the paraffin molecules with n between 20 and 40. That means the molecules with have a molecular formula including C20H42 and C40H82, and also those that are "between" these two. C21H44, C22H46, and the rest will appear on your list, if you're making one. In case you didn't snap to it, as we begin to examine this group of compounds we'll find substances that are a gas at room temperature. On up the chain we'll encounter some that are liquids at ordinary temperatures. Then the larger, heavier molecules we find even further up will be solids at room temperature. A link can be found below to check facts and gather more information.