Question

Explain the meaning of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons with two examples each.

Answer 1

(1) Saturated hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons in which the carbon atoms are connected by single bonds only. They are also called alkanes, and their general formula is C_nH_2n+2, where n is the number of carbon atoms in each of their molecules.
Examples: Methane (CH₄) and butane (C₄H₁₀) are saturated hydrocarbons with 1 and 4 carbon atoms respectively, and their names end with 'ane'. The atoms are only connected by single covalent bonds.
The structures are represented below

2) Unsaturated hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons in which two carbon atoms are either connected by a double bond or triple bond. If the two carbon atoms are connected by a double bond, then it is called an alkene, and its general formula is C_nH_2n.
Example: Ethene (C₂H₄) is an alkene in which two carbon atoms are connected by a double bond.
The structure is as follows:

If two carbon atoms are connected by a triple bond, then it is called an alkyne, and its general formula is C_nH_2n-2.
Example: Ethyne (C₂H₂) is an alkyne in which two carbon atoms are connected by a triple bond.
The structure of ethyne is as follows: