Octadecane is an
alkane
In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in which ...
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 ex ...
with the
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, ...
CH
3(CH
2)
16CH
3.
Properties
Octadecane is distinguished by being the
alkane
In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in which ...
with the lowest
carbon number
In organic chemistry, the carbon number of a compound is the number of carbon atoms in each molecule.Nava Dayan, Lambros Kromidas (ed.) ''Formulating, Packaging, and Marketing of Natural Cosmetic Products'' John Wiley & Sons, 2011;
; page 218
Th ...
that is unambiguously solid at room temperature and pressure.
References
External links
Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
Alkanes
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