Lesson 3: Cyclic Hydrocarbons

• Cycloalkanes are compounds with rings of singly bonded carbon atoms
• General formula for cycloalkanes: CnH2n
• Rules for Naming Cycloalkanes:

  • Count the number of carbons in the ring and name it as the cycloalkane
  • Name the branches as alkyl groups and assign the lowest possible numbers if more than one branch exists
  • When two or more different alkyl groups that could potentially receive the same number are present, number them by alphabetical priority
• Cycloalkenes are compounds with rings that have at least one double bond between carbon atoms
• General formula for cycloalkenes: CnH2n-2
• Rules for Naming Cycloalkenes:

  • Count the number of carbons in the ring and name it as the cycloalkene
  • If there is branching, the double bond must be assigned the 1,2 carbon positions
  • Number subsequent carbons to get the lowest possible numbers
• Cycloalkanes have the same molecular formula as alkenes since Carbon has a bonding capacity of 4
• the bond is always the priority in double or triple bonds, so the bond is always the one with the lowest number