Organic Chemistry/Alkanes/Cycloalkanes

<< Stereoisomers | Two hydrogens for every carbon >> Cycloalkanes are hydrocarbons containing one or more rings. (Alkanes without rings are referred to as aliphatic.) 130px → 110px + H2 Under certain reaction conditions, propane can be transformed into cyclopropane. (H2 comes off as a sideproduct.) 20px Cyclopropane (unstable, lots of ring strain) 20px Cyclobutane (ring strain) 20px Cyclopentane (little ring strain) 20px Cyclohexane (Next to no ring strain) 40px Cyclodecane Rings with thirteen or more carbons have virtually no ring strain. Naming cycloalkanes Cycloalkanes are named similarly to their straight-chain counterparts. Simply add the root "cyclo-" before the alkane part of the name. Example: Propane >> Cyclopropane When naming cycloalkanes, the cyclo prefix is used for alphabetization. Substituents If a cycloalkane has only one substituent, it is not necessary to assign that substituent a number. If there is more than one substituent, then it is necessary to number the carbons and specify which substituent is on which carbon. 50px Methylcyclopentane 50px 1,1-dimethylcyclopentane 75px 1,2-dimethylcyclopentane 100px 1,3-dimethylcyclopentane The organic compound 100px could be named and numbered 100px 1-cyclopropyl-5-ethyl-2-methylcyclohexane but instead should be named 100px 2-cyclopropyl-4-ethyl-1-methylcyclohexane because it produces a lower numbered name (1+5+2=8 vs. 2+4+1=7). In the following examples, notice that the longer chain is the parent and the cycloalkane is the substituent. 50px 2-Cyclopropylbutane 100px 1,3-dicyclopropylpropane Multicyclic alkanes Multicyclic alkanes are hydrocarbons that have more than one bonded cyclic ring. These abound in biology as all kinds of hormones, steroids, cholesterol,carbohydrates, etc. They are named as bicycloalkanes, tricycloalkanes, etc. They are named slightly differently than singularly cyclic alkanes. 50px Bicyclo[2.1.0]pentane Multicyclic alkanes are found frequently in living beings: 75px Part of Cholesterol We will get to some of the most interesting multicyclic rings later on when we study benzene and aromaticity. Stereochemistry Because the C-C bonds in cycles cannot rotate through 360 degrees, substituted cycloalkanes and similar compounds can exhibit diastereomerism. This is comparable to alkenes which show cis/trans (or E/Z) isomerism. The isomers can be named using cis/trans notation, or more rigorously using R-S notation. Image:cis-C6H4Cl2.pngImage:trans-C6H4Cl2.pngcis-1,2-dichlorocyclohexanetrans-1,2-dichlorocyclohexane1(R),2(S)-dichlorocyclohexane1(S),2(S)-dichlorocyclohexane On WP: Conformational isomerism Conformers, or conformational isomers, are different arrangements of the same molecule in space. Do not confuse them with any kind of true isomer as they are in every way the same molecule. The difference is in how the molecule is bent or twisted is space in any one instant of time. Cyclohexane On WP: Cyclohexane The first molecule that is generally presented in a discussion of cycloalkane conformers is cyclohexane. It comes in several flavors; the main ones are the chair conformation and the boat conformation. 100px 100px Boat conformation Chair conformation Note: In the above models, the straight lines represents single bonds, the lumps represent carbon atoms, and the open ends represent hydrogen atoms. On WP: Cyclohexane conformation Consider getting a good molecular model set if you do not yet have one. They are not as inexpensive as you would hope but they help most people immensely to understand the way molecules look in three dimensions. Follow this link to places you can buy a molecular model kit. The chair conformation (can you see how it looks like a chair?) is lower in energy than the boat conformation. This is because the two ends of the molecule are farther apart and avoid steric hindrance. Hydrogen atoms in a cyclohexane can be divided into two types: Axial, that point towards the top and bottom, and Equitorial, that point out away from the edge of the molecule When hydrogens are replaced with other, bulkier groups, it becomes apparent that the axial positions are less energetically favored than the equatorial positions. That means that, if given a choice, bulkier groups will tend to bond to cyclohexane in equatorial positions, as this reduces their steric hinderance and potential energy. Other cycloalkanes Cyclopentane flips between slightly different conformers as well. << Foundational concepts | << Stereoisomers | Cycloalkanes | Two hydrogens for every carbon >> | Introduction to reactions >>