Alkyne
An alkyne is one of the four main types of hydrocarbons. Alkynes are true hydrocarbons, meaning they are made up of nothing but hydrogen and carbon.[1]
Alkanes are based on the formula <m>C_{n}H_{2n-2}</m>.
- <m>C</m> is Carbon.
- <m>H</m> is Hydrogen.
- <m>n</m> refers to the number of molecules.
Alkynes are similar to Alkanes except they contain a triple bond between two carbon atoms. When one carbon shares a triple bond with another, this limits the number of hydrogen which can be bonded (resulting in less hydrogen atoms per carbon atom).
Examples are ethyne (<m>C_{2} H_{2}</m>), propyne (<m>C_{3} H_{4}</m>) and butyne (<m>C_{4} H_{6}</m>). Note that when we have 4 or more carbon in a chain, the position of the double bond can create different possible structures and uses a more precise nomenclature.
To learn more about alkynes, click here.