Higher alkane

Occurrence

Higher alkanes can also be isolated and purified from natural or synthetic mixtures. Coal tar is a traditional source of mixtures of long-chain hydrocarbons. Careful fractionation, first using urea clathrates to remove branched hydrocarbons, and then distillation, produces pure n-hydrocarbons from petroleum.

Regarding synthetic sources, the Fischer-Tropsch process (or FT process) produces a mixture of hydrocarbons by the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide. The products obtained are liquid hydrocarbons and waxy solids, mostly n-paraffins. The liquid fraction ranges from C₆ to C₂₀, while the solid fraction consists of hydrocarbons above C₂₁.

Bioactivity

Some branched higher alkanes are insect pheromones. 7-methyltricosane and 9-methyltricosane are active for ladybird beetles (Adalia bipunctata). The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) responds to 9-methylpentacosane. Female Asian long-horned beetles Anoplophora glabripennis, which are very damaging, secrete 2-methyldocosane.

Reactions

Higher alkanes in general are relatively inert, just like low molecular weight alkanes they can react with oxygen and start a combustion reaction. They can undergo cracking in the presence of alumina or silica catalysts, forming lower alkanes and alkenes.

Uses

Alkanes from nonane to hexadecane (those alkanes with nine to sixteen carbon atoms) are liquids of higher viscosity, which are less suitable for use in gasoline. They form instead the major part of diesel, kerosene, and aviation fuel. Diesel fuels are characterised by their cetane number, cetane being an older name for hexadecane. However the higher melting points of these alkanes can cause problems at low temperatures and in polar regions, where the fuel becomes too thick to flow correctly. Mixtures of the normal alkanes are used as boiling point standards for simulated distillation by gas chromatography.

Alkanes from hexadecane upwards form the most important components of fuel oil and lubricating oil. In latter function they work at the same time as anti-corrosive agents, as their hydrophobic nature means that water cannot reach the metal surface. Many solid alkanes find use as paraffin wax, used for lubrication, electrical insulation, and candles. Paraffin wax should not be confused with beeswax, which consists primarily of esters.

Alkanes with a chain length of approximately 30 or more carbon atoms are found in bitumen (asphalt), used (for example) in road surfacing. However, the higher alkanes have little value and are usually split into lower alkanes by cracking.

Names

Some alkanes have non-IUPAC trivial names:

• cetane, for hexadecane
• cerane, for hexacosane

Properties

Nonane is the lightest alkane to have a flash point above 25 °C, and is classified as flammable under the US National Library of Medicine.

The properties listed here refer to the straight-chain alkanes (or: n-alkanes).

Nonane to hexadecane

This group of n-alkanes is generally liquid under standard conditions.

Heptadecane to tetracosane

From this group on, the n-alkanes are generally solid at standard conditions.

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Pentacosane to triacontane

Hentriacontane to hexatriacontane

Heptatriacontane to dotetracontane

Tritetracontane to octatetracontane

Nonatetracontane to tetrapentacontane

Pentapentacontane to hexacontane