Alkanes properties and combustion

• Shorter alkanes are more volatile (evaporate more easily)
• Boiling point increases and chain lenght increases
• Shorter alkanes are more flammable than longer ones
• Really short chains have a fairly low boiling point so they are gases at room temperature
• Longer chains are liquids at room temperature
• reeaaaalllyyy long chains could be solid at room temperature
• Longer alkanes are viscous ( thick, sticky consistency )
• Main uses of hydrocarbons

  fuel - because they release lots of energy when burned with oxygen
• complete combustion

  Hydrocarbon + Oxygen -> carbon dioxide + water

  e.g C3H8 + O2 -> CO2 + H20 (then balance it)