International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Chemistry Practice Exam

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What is the molecular formula of ethane?

  1. C2H4

  2. C2H6

  3. C3H8

  4. C4H10

The correct answer is: C2H6

Ethane is an alkane, which is a type of hydrocarbon that has only single bonds between the carbon atoms. The general formula for alkanes is CnH(2n+2), where "n" represents the number of carbon atoms in the molecule. For ethane, "n" is 2 since it has two carbon atoms. Using the formula: - When n = 2, the number of hydrogen atoms can be calculated as: H = 2(2) + 2 = 6. Thus, the molecular formula for ethane is C2H6, which indicates it consists of two carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms. This aligns perfectly with the characteristics of ethane as a saturated hydrocarbon, where each carbon atom is fully bonded with hydrogen, maximizing the number of hydrogen atoms it can carry without forming double or triple bonds.

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