Tetracosane, also called ''tetrakosane'', 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
structural formula
The structural formula of a chemical compound is a graphic representation of the molecular structure (determined by structural chemistry methods), showing how the atoms are possibly arranged in the real three-dimensional space. The chemical bondi ...
H(CH
2)
24H. As with other alkanes, its name is derived from Greek for the number of carbon atoms, 24, in the molecule. It has 14,490,245
constitutional isomer
In chemistry, a structural isomer (or constitutional isomer in the IUPAC nomenclature) of a chemical compound, compound is another compound whose molecule has the same number of atoms of each element, but with logically distinct chemical bond, b ...
s, and 252,260,276 stereoisomers.
''n''-Tetracosane is found in mineral called
evenkite
Evenkite is a rare hydrocarbon mineral with formula C24H50; specifically, H3C–(CH2)22–CH3, the alkane ''n''-tetracosane. It occurs as very soft (Mohs hardness 1) transparent crystals, colorless to yellow, with a waxy luster. The softness is a ...
in the
Evenki Region on Lower Tunguska River in Siberia and the Bucnik quarry near Konma in eastern
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The me ...
, in former Czechoslovakia. Evenkite is found as colourless flakes and is reported to fluoresce yellow-orange.
See also
*
List of alkanes
The following is a list of straight-chain alkanes, the total number of isomers of each (including branched chains), and their common names, sorted by number of carbon atoms.
References
{{alkanes
Alkanes
Alkanes
In organic chemistry, ...
References
External links
NIST Entry
Alkanes
{{Hydrocarbon-stub