Title: Bonding and Structure of Hydrocarbons
 1Bonding and Structure of Hydrocarbons
22.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons 22.2 Unsaturated 
Hydrocarbons 22.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons 
 2Hydrocarbons
- Compounds containing carbon and hydrogen atoms 
 only
- Raw materials for synthesizing other organic 
 products
3Saturated Hydrocarbons 
 422.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.29)
Saturated Hydrocarbons
- Contain only C ? C and C ? H single bonds 
- Carbon atom is tetravalent (i.e. able to form 
 four bonds)
- Structures and shapes can be predicted in terms 
 of
-  ? hybridization of orbitals 
-  ? valence shell electron pair repulsion theory
522.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.29)
sp3 Hybridization
- Four unpaired electrons 
-  ? Form four bonds with other atoms
622.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.29)
sp3 Hybridization
- 2s and 2p orbitals with their unpaired electrons 
 are mixed to give four hybrid orbitals of the
 same energy level
722.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.29)
sp3 Hybridization
- The hybrid orbital formed is called sp3 hybrid 
 orbital
-  ? each hybrid orbital has one part s character 
 and 3 parts p character
- The four hybrid orbitals have the same shape and 
 same energy level
822.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.30)
sp3 Hybridization
- There is one electron in each hybrid orbital to 
 form a bond
- ? Electrons repel one another 
-  ? four sp3 hybrid orbitals get as far away as 
 possible
-  ? tetrahedral arrangement
922.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.30)
Methane (CH4)
The formation of a methane molecule 
 1022.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.30)
Methane (CH4)
- Four C?H bonds are arranged tetrehedrally 
- All H ? C ? H bond angles are the same, i.e.109.5o
1122.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.31)
Methane (CH4)
An sp3 hybrid orbital
- Has two lobes of unequal sizes
1222.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.31)
Methane (CH4)
- The large lobe overlaps with the 1s orbital of a 
 hydrogen atom in a head-on manner to form a C ? H
 bond
Formation of a C ? H ? bond 
 1322.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.31)
Methane (CH4)
- ? The larger lobe of sp3 hybrid orbitals is 
 relatively large in size
-  ? The overlap between it and 1s orbital of 
 hydrogen atom is large
-  ? C ? H bond is strong 
- In a ? bond, the bonding electrons are localized 
 symmetrically along the internuclear axis of the
 bonding atoms
1422.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.31)
Ethane (C2H6)
- Both carbon atoms are sp3 hybridized
The formation of an ethane molecule from two 
sp3-hybridized carbon atoms 
 1522.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.31)
Ethane (C2H6)
The ball-and-stick model of ethane 
 1622.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.32)
Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory
- Predict the geometry of arrangement of atoms in 
 the molecules
1722.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.32)
Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory
Step 1. Focus on the central atom of the 
molecule 2. Consider all of the valence electron 
pairs of the central atom, i.e. bond pairs and 
lone pairs 
 1822.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.32)
Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory
- Electron pairs tend to stay as far apart as 
 possible
-  ? electronic repulsion between lone pairs is 
 generally greater than that between bond pairs
1922.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.32)
Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory
- The shape of the molecule is referred to the 
 positions of the atoms
-  ? the shape has minimum repulsion between the 
 electron pairs
2022.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.32)
Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory
The tetrahedral shape of a methane molecule 
resulting in the minimum electronic repulsion 
 2122.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.33) 
 22Unsaturated Hydrocarbons 
 2322.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.34)
Unsaturated Hydrocarbons
- Hydrocarbons containing multiple bonds 
- Include alkenes, alkynes and aromatic hydrocarbons
2422.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.34)
sp2 Hybridization
- 2s orbital and two 2p orbitals are hybridized to 
 form three sp2 hybrid orbitals
- One 2p orbital unhybridized
2522.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.34)
sp2 Hybridization
- Take up a trigonal planar arrangement
2622.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.35)
sp2 Hybridization
- The unhybridized 2p orbital is at a right angle 
 to the plane of the three sp3 hybrid orbitals
An sp2-hybridized carbon atom 
 2722.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.35)
Ethene (C2H4)
- The sp2 hybrid orbitals from each carbon atom 
 head-on overlap with each other to form a ? bond
 between the carbon atoms
2822.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.35)
Ethene (C2H4)
- The remaining sp2 hybrid orbitals head-on overlap 
 with the 1s orbitals of the hydrogen atoms to
 form ? bonds
2922.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.35)
Ethene (C2H4)
- Side-way overlap of orbitals is much less 
 effective than head-on overlap of orbitals
-  ? ? bond is much stronger than ? bond
3022.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.35)
Ethene (C2H4)
- ? bond electron cloud consists of two lobes 
-  ? one above and one below the plane of the 
 molecular framework
3122.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.35)
Ethene (C2H4)
- The bonding electrons of a ? bond are loosely 
 held by the carbon nuclei
-  ? they can easily be attacked by electrophiles 
 (electron-loving chemical species)
-  ? unsaturated hydrocarbons with double bonds 
 are reactive compounds
-  ? undergo addition reactions readily
3222.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.36)
Ethene (C2H4) 
 3322.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.36) 
 3422.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.36)
Cyclohexene (C6H10)
- Four of the carbon atoms are sp3-hybridized 
- The remaining two carbon atoms that form the 
 carbon-carbon double bond are sp2-hybridized
3522.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.36)
Cyclohexene (C6H10)
The structure of cyclohexene 
 3622.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.36) 
 3722.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.38)
sp Hybridization
- 2s orbital and one 2p orbital are hybridized to 
 form two sp hybrid orbitals
- Two 2p orbitals unhybridized
3822.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.38)
sp Hybridization
- The sp hybrid orbitals are co-linear 
- Orientated at an angle of 180o
3922.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.38)
sp Hybridization
- The unhybridized 2p orbitals are perpendicular to 
 the axis that passes through the centre of two sp
 hybrid orbitals
An sp-hybridized carbon atom 
 4022.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.39)
Ethyne (C2H2)
- The sp hybrid orbitals from each carbon atom 
 head-on overlap with each other to form a ? bond
 between the carbon atoms
4122.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.39)
Ethyne (C2H2)
- The remaining sp hybrid orbitals head-on overlap 
 with the 1s orbitals of the hydrogen atoms to
 form ? bonds
4222.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.39)
Ethyne (C2H2)
- The 2py and 2pz orbitals on each carbon atom 
 overlap in a side-way manner to form two ? bonds
4322.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.39)
Ethyne (C2H2) 
 44Aromatic Hydrocarbons 
 4522.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.40)
Aromatic Hydrocarbons
- During the latter part of the 19th century, 
- Aliphatic compounds 
-  ? chemical behaviour was fat-like 
- Aromatic compounds 
-  ? low hydrogen to carbon ratio 
-  ? fragrant
4622.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.40)
Aromatic Hydrocarbons
- Kekule was the first to recognize the early 
 aromatic compounds all contain a six-carbon unit
 (i.e. benzene)
4722.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.40)
Benzene (C6H6)
- Benzene was highly unsaturated 
-  ? undergoes addition reactions readily 
- Indeed, benzene hardly undergoes addition 
 reactions
4822.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.40)
Benzene (C6H6)
- When benzene undergoes substitution reactions 
 with chlorine
-  ? Only one form of chlorobenzene is formed 
-  ? All six hydrogen atoms are identical 
-  ? More stable than alkenes and alkynes
4922.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.41)
Benzene (C6H6)
- From X-ray crystallography, 
- All C ? C bonds have the same length (0.139 nm) 
- C ? C bond in cyclohexane is 0.154 nm in length 
- C  C bond in cyclohexene is 0.134 nm in length
5022.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.41)
Benzene (C6H6)
- The stability of benzene and the C ? C bond 
 length in benzene can be explained by a resonance
 model
5122.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.41)
Benzene (C6H6)
- The unhybridized p orbitals sideway overlap to 
 form ? bonds
-  ? Form a delocalized ? electron cloud
5222.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.41)
Benzene (C6H6)
- The delocalization of ? electrons imparts extra 
 stability to benzene
5322.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.41)
Benzene (C6H6)
- For simplicity, the structure of benzene can be 
 written as
5422.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.41)
Benzene (C6H6)
- In the real structure, the ? electrons are 
 delocalized over the whole system
- The better way to represent the structure of 
 benzene
5522.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.43)
Enthalpy Changes of Hydrogenation of Benzene and 
Cyclohexene
Hydrogenation of cyclohexene 
 5622.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.43)
Enthalpy Changes of Hydrogenation of Benzene and 
Cyclohexene
Hydrogenation of 1,3-cyclohexadiene 
 5722.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.44)
Enthalpy Changes of Hydrogenation of Benzene and 
Cyclohexene
Hydrogenation of 1,3,5-cyclohexatriene (Kekule 
structure) 
 5822.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.44)
Relative stabilities of cyclohexene, 
1,3-cyclohexadiene, 1,3,5-cyclohexatriene 
(hypothetical) and benzene
The real benzene molecule is more stable than the 
hypothetical Kekule structure by 150.4 kJ mol-1 
 5922.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.45)
Enthalpy Changes of Formation of Benzene and 
Cyclohexene 
 6022.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.45)
Enthalpy Changes of Formation of Benzene and 
Cyclohexene 
 6122.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.45)
Enthalpy Changes of Formation of Benzene and 
Cyclohexene 
 6222.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.46)
Enthalpy Changes of Formation of Benzene and 
Cyclohexene 
 6322.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.46)
Enthalpy Changes of Formation of Benzene and 
Cyclohexene 
 6422.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.46)
Enthalpy Changes of Formation of Benzene and 
Cyclohexene
- Enthalpy change of formation of benzene is less 
 positive than that of cyclohexene
-  ? benzene is energetically more stable than 
 cyclohexene
65The END 
 6622.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.33)
Check Point 22-1
(a) Draw a three-dimensional structure for 
propane (C3H8).
Answer 
 6722.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.33)
Check Point 22-1
(b) How many s bonds are there in a molecule 
of (i) propane? (ii) butane? (iii) 
methylpropane?
Answer
- (i) 10 ? bonds 
-  (ii) 13 ? bonds 
-  (iii) 13 ? bonds
Back 
 6822.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.33)
Let's Think 1
Are ball-and-stick models good representations of 
organic molecules? Are there any other models 
available?
Answer 
 6922.1 Saturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.33)
Back
Let's Think 1
The ball-and-stick model has the following 
disadvantages  The sizes, bond lengths and 
bond angles are restricted to fixed 
classifications. It cannot represent important 
small variations, especially in angles.  When 
we pick it up to look at the model, bonds tend to 
rotate to unintended positions. For big 
molecules, it is practically impossible to pick 
it up without distorting it.  We can only guess 
at steric repulsions, pbonding hindrance to 
rotation, etc. There are many other molecular 
models, one of them is the computer model which 
makes use of visualization softwares (e.g. Chime) 
to view the structure of molecules. It overcomes 
the disadvantages of the ball-and-stick model and 
provides much more information about the 
structure of molecules. 
 7022.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.35)
Back
Let's Think 2
Which is a stronger bond, a carbon-carbon single 
bond or a carbon-carbon double bond? Why?
Answer
A carbon-carbon double bond is stronger than a 
carbon-carbon single bond, as the carbon-carbon 
double bond contains one sbond and one pbond 
whereas the carbon-carbon single bond contains 
only one sbond. 
 7122.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.35)
Let's Think 3
Is the ball-and-stick model of ethene in Fig. 
22-10 a good model of ethene?
Answer
It is not a good representation of the ethene 
molecule as it fails to represent the s bond 
between the two carbon atoms.
Back 
 7222.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.36)
Example 22-2
The bond enthalpy of the carbon-carbon double 
bond in ethene is 612 kJ mol1 while the bond 
enthalpy of the carbon-carbon single bond in 
ethane is 348 kJ mol1. Explain briefly why the 
bond enthalpy of the carbon-carbon double bond is 
less than twice that of the carbon-carbon single 
bond.
Answer 
 7322.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.36)
Back
Example 22-2
A carbon-carbon double bond is composed of a 
sbond and a p bond. The sbond is formed by the 
head-on overlap of orbitals. The electrons of the 
sbond are distributed along the internuclear axis 
of the two bonded atoms. sbond is a strong bond 
and has a high bond enthalpy. On the other hand, 
a pbond is formed by the side-way overlap of 
orbitals. As the side-way overlap of orbitals is 
less effective than the head-on overlap of 
orbitals, a pbond is weaker than a sbond. Hence, 
the bond enthalpy of the carbon-carbon double 
bond (i.e. a sbond and a pbond) is less than 
twice that of the carbon-carbon single bond (i.e. 
a sbond). 
 7422.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.37)
Check Point 22-2A
(a) State the difference between the s bond and 
the p bond in the carbon-carbon double bond.
Answer 
 7522.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.37)
Check Point 22-2A
- The differences between the s bond and the p bond 
 in the carbon-carbon double bond are
-  1. The s bond is formed by the head-on overlap 
 of the sp2 hybrid orbitals of two carbon atoms,
 while the p bond is formed by the side-way
 overlap of the vacant p orbitals of two carbon
 atoms.
-  2. The bonding electrons in the s bond are 
 localized symmetrically along the internuclear
 axis of two bonded carbon atoms. However, the
 electrons in the p bond appear as two lobes, one
 above and one below the internuclear axis of the
 two bonded atoms.
-  3. The s bond is much stronger than the p bond 
 as the side-way overlap of orbitals which
 results in the p bond is much less effective
 than the head-on overlap of orbitals which
 results in the s bond.
-  4. The s bond is free to rotate, whereas the p 
 bond is not.
7622.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.37)
Back
Check Point 22-2A
(b) How many s and p bonds are present in a 
molecule of (i) propene? (ii) but-1-ene? (iii) 
but-2-ene?
Answer
(b) (i) 8 s bonds and 1 p bond (ii) 11 s bonds 
and 1 p bond (iii) 11 s bonds and 1 p bond 
 7722.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.40)
Check Point 22-2B
(a) How many s and p bonds are present in a 
molecule of (i) propyne? (ii) but-1-yne? (iii) 
but-2-yne?
Answer
(a) (i) 6 s bonds and 2 p bonds (ii) 9 s bonds 
and 2 p bonds (iii) 9 s bonds and 2 p bonds 
 7822.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.40)
Check Point 22-2B
(b) What is the hybridization of each carbon atom 
in ethanenitrile? 
Answer
(b) Carbon 1 is sp3-hybridized, whereas carbon 2 
is sp-hybridized. 
 7922.2 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (SB p.40)
Back
Check Point 22-2B
(c) State the bond angles indicated in the 
compound below 
Answer
(c) x 109.5o y 120o z 180o 
 8022.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.41)
Let's Think 4
What leads to the extra stability observed in 
benzene?
Answer
In the six-member ring of benzene, six p orbitals 
of carbon atoms sideway overlap with each other 
to form six p bonds. The p electron clouds are 
delocalized in the ring, linking the six carbon 
atoms together. This imparts extra stability to 
the benzene molecule.
Back 
 8122.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.42)
Example 22-3A
Classify the following compounds as saturated, 
unsaturated or aromatic hydrocarbons. 
A B C 
 D E
Answer 
 8222.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.42)
Example 22-3A
A Unsaturated hydrocarbon B Aromatic 
hydrocarbon C Unsaturated hydrocarbon D 
Saturated hydrocarbon E Saturated hydrocarbon
Back 
 8322.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.42)
Example 22-3B
Give the approximate values of the indicated bond 
angles of the following compound 
Answer
a  180o b  109.5o c  120o d  120o
Back 
 8422.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.46)
Check Point 22-3
(a) Name the following compounds 
Answer
(a) A cyclohexane B benzene 
 8522.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.46)
Check Point 22-3
(b) State the hybridization of the carbon atoms 
in each of the above compounds.
Answer
(b) A sp3 hybridization B sp2 hybridization 
 8622.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.46)
Check Point 22-3
(c) State the C ? C ? C bond angle in each of the 
above compounds.
Answer
(c) A 109.5o B 120 
 8722.3 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (SB p.46)
Check Point 22-3
(d) Which one is an aromatic compound? Explain 
your answer.
Answer
(d) B. This is because it possesses the aromatic 
ring of benzene.
Back