Warm Up: Introducing Arithmetic Sequences
Completion requirements
Warm Up |
Introducing Arithmetic Sequences
In organic chemistry, the most basic type of hydrocarbon group is called the alkanes. Alkanes are made entirely of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The first four alkanes are methane, ethane, propane, and butane. The number of carbon and hydrogen atoms in each molecule is identified in the following table:
| Alkane | Methane | Ethane | Propane | Butane |
| Number of Carbon Atoms | \(1\) | \(2\) | \(3\) | \(4\) |
| Number of Hydrogen Atoms | \(4\) | \(6\) | \(8\) | \(10\) |
Looking at the table, can you identify a rule that would determine the number of hydrogen atoms required to make an alkane, given the number of carbon atoms present?