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cycloalkane

Also known as: cycloparaffin

Quick Summary

Cycloalkanes are saturated hydrocarbons that form a ring structure. They have the general formula CnH2n, meaning they have two fewer hydrogen atoms than an alkane with the same number of carbon atoms. The smallest cycloalkane is cyclopropane (C3H6), and cyclohexane (C6H12) is the most studied. Cycloalkane rings are often represented as polygons, with each corner symbolizing a carbon atom bonded to the necessary hydrogen atoms to achieve four bonds. Cyclopropane is unique among cycloalkanes for being planar, while larger cycloalkanes adopt nonplanar shapes to reduce strain.1

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