Which hydrocarbons are solid at room temperature?

Answer 1

Here are a few hydrocarbons that are gases at 20 °C (although this is by no means a complete list):

Alkanes:
methane (CH4), also known as natural gas
ethane (C2H6)
propane (C3H8)
butane (C4H10)
(although pentane, C5H12, and longer alkanes are liquids)

Alkenes:
Ethene (C2H2), also known as ethylene
Propene (C3H6), also known as propylene
Butene (C4H8), also known as butylene

Alkynes:
Ethyne (C2H2), also known as acetylene
Propyne (C3H4), also known as methylacetylene
Butyne (C4H6), also known as ethylacetylene

Answer 2

Those unbranched saturated hydrocarbons (n-alkanes) with a boiling point above 20 oC (this means that they are not gases at room temperature) and those with a melting point below 20 oC (this means that they are not solids at room temperature.

Pentane, C5H12 boils at 36 oC; lighter ones such as butane propane all boil below room temperature.

Hexadecane C16H34 melts at 18 oC, the lighter alkanes are fluid at 20 oC.

So the answer is: pentane (C5H12) through pentadecane (C15H32) (included)

For branched and/or unsaturated hydrocarbons the answer is increasingly complex.

Answer 3

Hydrocarbons with high molecular weights, such as waxes and long-chain alkanes (e.g. paraffin wax, hexadecane), are solid at room temperature. These hydrocarbons have strong intermolecular forces that allow them to exist in a solid state at typical room temperatures.

Answer 4

Hydrocarbons with five to twelve carbons are liquids at room temperature. If there are more carbon atoms we'd expect them to be solids if they are saturated.

Answer 5

No, they are not.

The longer the length of the carbon chain, the stronger the intermolecular forces and so they will be more in the solid or liquid states.

Answer 6

The most commonly used types of chemical hydrocarbons are combustible fuel sources. Like methane or propane. Asphalt is the common solid form of hydrocarbons.

Answer 7

Two examples: paraffin, naphthalene

Answer 8

Hexane