Cyclopentane (also called C pentane) is a highly flammable alicyclic

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ...

with

chemical formula In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...

C₅H₁₀ and CAS number 287-92-3, consisting of a ring of five

carbon Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—its atom making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. Carbon makes ...

atoms each bonded with two

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic ...

atoms above and below the plane. It occurs as a colorless

liquid A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, it is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas, an ...

with a

petrol Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic c ...

-like

odor An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their sense ...

. Its

melting point The melting point (or, rarely, liquefaction point) of a substance is the temperature at which it changes state from solid to liquid. At the melting point the solid and liquid phase exist in equilibrium. The melting point of a substance depends ...

is −94 °C and its boiling point is 49 °C. Cyclopentane is in the class of

cycloalkane In organic chemistry, the cycloalkanes (also called naphthenes, but distinct from naphthalene) are the monocyclic saturated hydrocarbons. In other words, a cycloalkane consists only of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a structure containin ...

s, being

alkane In organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms tha ...

s that have one or more rings of carbon atoms. It is formed by cracking

cyclohexane Cyclohexane is a cycloalkane with the molecular formula . Cyclohexane is non-polar. Cyclohexane is a colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive detergent-like odor, reminiscent of cleaning products (in which it is sometimes used). Cyclohex ...

in the presence of alumina at a high temperature and pressure. It was first prepared in 1893 by the German chemist Johannes Wislicenus.

Production, occurrence and use

Cycloalkanes are formed by catalytic reforming. For example, when passed over a hot platinum surfact, 2-methylbutane converts into cyclopentane. Cyclopentane has no particular use. No commercial products are made from cyclopentane itself. As a volatile hydrocarbon it is an incidental component of some fuels and blowing agents. In principle, it could be used as a

refrigerant A refrigerant is a working fluid used in the refrigeration cycle of air conditioning systems and heat pumps where in most cases they undergo a repeated phase transition from a liquid to a gas and back again. Refrigerants are heavily regulate ...

except that it is rather flammable. Cyclopentane can be fluorinated to give compounds ranging from to perfluorocyclopentane . Such species are conceivable refrigerants and specialty solvents. The cyclopentane ring is pervasive in

natural product A natural product is a natural compound or substance produced by a living organism—that is, found in nature. In the broadest sense, natural products include any substance produced by life. Natural products can also be prepared by chemical sy ...

s including many useful drugs. Examples include most

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and ...

s, prostaglandins, and some lipids.

Conformations

In a regular pentagon the angles at the vertices are all 108°, slightly less than the bond angle in perfectly tetrahedrally bonded carbon, which is about 109.47°. But cyclopentane is not planar in its normal conformations. It puckers in order to increase the distances between the hydrogen atoms (something which does not happen in the planar cyclopentadienyl anion because it doesn't have as many hydrogen atoms). This means that the average C-C-C angle is less than 108°. There are two conformations that give local minima of the energy, the "envelope" and the "half-chair". The envelope has mirror symmetry ( C), while the half chair has two-fold rotational symmetry ( C). In both cases the symmetry implies that there are two pairs of equal C-C-C angles and one C-C-C angle that has no pair. In fact for cyclopentane, unlike for

(C₆H₁₂, see cyclohexane conformation) and higher

s, it is not possible geometrically for all the angles and bond lengths to be equal except if it is in the form of a flat regular pentagon. File:Cyclopentane envelope conformation.svg, Envelope File:Cyclopentane3D.png, 3D envelope File:Cyclopentane halfchair.svg, Half-chair

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cyclopentanes Hydrocarbon solvents Cycloalkanes