A pplications
Common Alkane Applications
Used in the petro-chemical industry, as it is used for heating and being used as a liquid gas for steam cracking (when large hydrocarbons are reduced to smaller chains). Along with this, it is also used for gasoline blending where it is used alone or with propane. When it is mixed with other hydrocarbons, it is sold and used as liquified petroleum gas (LPG).
This range of hydrocarbons are utilized for major components of diesel fuel, due to their higher viscosity. However, there is flaws with the utilization of these molecules as fuels due to them becoming slow and thick, causing problems with the fuel flow. Along with this, hexadecane molecules (and others above it terms of carbon numbers in the main chain) are also used as a lubricating oil.
This organic molecule is commonly used in portable stoves. This is due to the boiling point of it being extremely low, which makes it turn into a gas (vaporize) as soon as it is released from its tank. It is also very common for backup fuel supply for generators and heating systems due to how easily transportable it is. It is mostly transported in widely seen steel containers which maintain a low temperature that keeps the molecules as a liquid while it is in the canister.
Undecane is often found in ants and cockroaches. They utilize this molecule as a type of pheromone (a scent that is sent out by an animal to signal other animals in its species in some way) that attracts other ants/cockroaches in order to mate. It is also theorized that ants use this molecule when they sting, and that it helps the acid from their bite spread through the body of their victim.
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