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This lesson explores the properties of hydrocarbons in detail, as required by the AQA GCSE Chemistry specification (5.8.1). You need to understand how the size and structure of hydrocarbon molecules affect their physical properties, and be able to explain these trends using ideas about intermolecular forces.
A hydrocarbon is a compound that contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms. The two families you need to know are:
This lesson focuses primarily on alkanes, as they make up the bulk of crude oil.
The physical properties of alkanes change in a gradual and predictable way as the number of carbon atoms increases. This is because the alkanes form a homologous series.
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