3. Chemical Properties of Carbon Compounds

​Chemical Properties

Combustion Reactions

Combustion means burning of carbon or carbon-containing compounds in the presence of air or oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, heat and light.

Flame Characteristics

Saturated hydrocarbons give clean flame while unsaturated hydrocarbons give smoky flame. In the presence of limited oxygen, even saturated hydrocarbons give smoky flame.

Oxidation

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Addition

The reactions in which two molecules react to form a single product having all the atoms of the combining molecules are called addition reactions.
The hydrogenation reaction is an example of the addition reaction. In this reaction, hydrogen is added to a double bond or a triple bond in the presence of a catalyst like nickel, palladium or platinum.

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 Substitution

The reaction in which an atom or group of atoms in a molecule is replaced or substituted by different atoms or group of atoms is called substitution reaction. In alkanes, hydrogen atoms are replaced by other elements.

CH₄+Cl₂+Sunlight → CH₃Cl+HCl