Hydrocarbons 1

CHEMISTRY SSS2  Third Term

WEEK 7

Hydrocarbons 1

Performance objectives

Students should be able to:

1. Explain carbon and its valences
2. Define hydrocarbons with examples
3. Draw and name simple hydrocarbons(IUPAC naming of hydrocarbons)

Content

Carbon and its valences

Carbon in its various forms has been known since ancient times in the form of soot, charcoal, graphite, and diamonds. Its name is derived from a Latin word “carbo” which means “charcoal”. Ancient cultures did not realize, of course, that these substances were different forms of the same element. Let us explore the versatile nature of carbon.

But what makes Carbon such an interesting element can be directly attributed to its two unique properties, i.e. tetra-valency and catenation. It is because of these properties that the element…