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The Chemical Educator
ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)
Abstract Volume 8
Issue 1 (2003) pp 13-14
An Equation for Degrees of Unsaturation
Ray A. Gross, Jr.
Department of Physical Sciences, Prince George’s Community College,
Largo, MD 20774; rgross@pgcc.edu
Received December 8, 2002. Accepted December 23, 2002
Published online: 15 January 2003
Abstract. Starting with
a generalized chemical formula of a hydrocarbon, a two-sided equation
is derived that shows how the four variables that describe any hydrocarbon
are related. For a given hydrocarbon, one side of the equation is the
sum of p bonds and rings, and the other side is one more than the number
of carbon atoms minus half of the hydrogen atoms. Both sides equal
the degrees of unsaturation (DU) in the hydrocarbon. The derived equation
is expanded to include heteroatoms, and the use of the two equations
in sophomore organic chemistry structural and DU problems is exemplified.
Key Words: In the Classroom; organic chemistry; bonding
(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: rgross@pgcc.edu)
Article in PDF format (136 KB) HTML format
Issue date: February
1, 2003
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