Question

Which of the following hydrocarbons will give substitution reactions and why?
CH₄, C₃H₆, C₃H₈, C₄H₆, C₅H₁₂, C₅H₁₀

Answer 1

CH₄, C₃H₈ and C₅H₁₂ are the hydrocarbons which have substitution reactions. This happens because CH₄(Methane), C₃H₈ (Propane) and C₅H₁₂(Pentane) are all saturated hydrocarbons (alkanes). Substitution reaction, which is a characteristic of saturated hydrocarbons, is the reaction in which one or more hydrogen atoms of a hydrocarbon are replaced by some other atoms (such as chlorine).