The molecular formula of butane is [tex]\boxed{{{\text{C}}_{\text{4}}}{{\text{H}}_{{\text{10}}}}}[/tex].
Further explanation:
The molecular formula is a chemical formula that depicts the total number and kinds of atoms present in a molecule. For example, molecular formula of carbon dioxide is [tex]{\text{C}}{{\text{O}}_2}[/tex].
Hydrocarbon is a term for the organic compounds that consist of hydrogen and carbon only.
Types of hydrocarbons:
1. Saturated hydrocarbons
The simplest hydrocarbons that are composed of only single bonds are called saturated hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons have the general formula of [tex]{{\text{C}}_n}{{\text{H}}_{2n + 2}}[/tex], where n is the number of carbon atoms. These hydrocarbons have suffix “ane” in their names. Examples of such hydrocarbons are methane, hexane, and propane.
2. Unsaturated hydrocarbons
These have one or more multiple bonds in them. These hydrocarbons have suffix “ene” or “yne”, depending on whether there is a double or triple bond between them. Hydrocarbons comprising of double bonds are called alkenes and those having triple bonds are called alkynes.
The name of butane includes the suffix “ane”. This implies it is a saturated hydrocarbon and contains only single bonds in it. The prefix “but” indicates the presence of four carbon atoms in this molecule.
Substitute 4 for n in the general formula of alkane [tex]\left( {{{\text{C}}_n}{{\text{H}}_{2n + 2}}} \right)[/tex] to find out the formula of butane.
[tex]\begin{aligned}{\text{Molecular formula of butane}} &= {{\text{C}}_{\text{4}}}{{\text{H}}_{\left( {{\text{2}}\left( {\text{4}} \right){\text{ + 2}}} \right)}}\\&= {{\text{C}}_4}{{\text{H}}_{10}}\\\end{aligned}[/tex]
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Answer details:
Grade: Senior School
Subject: Chemistry
Chapter: Stoichiometry of formulas and equations
Keywords: molecular formula, butane, C4H10, 4, ane, ene, yne, alkane, alkyne, alkene, saturated hydrocarbon, unsaturated hydrocarbon.