Hexadecane
Chemical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hexadecane (also called cetane) is an alkane hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C16H34. Hexadecane consists of a chain of 16 carbon atoms, with three hydrogen atoms bonded to the two end carbon atoms, and two hydrogens bonded to each of the 14 other carbon atoms. Isohexadecane is a branch chained isomer of hexadecane.[9]
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| Names | |
|---|---|
| Preferred IUPAC name
Hexadecane[1] | |
| Other names
Cetane | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| 1736592 | |
| ChEBI | |
| ChEMBL | |
| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.008.072 |
| EC Number |
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| 103739 | |
| MeSH | n-hexadecane |
PubChem CID |
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| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C16H34 | |
| Molar mass | 226.448 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | Colourless liquid |
| Odor | Gasoline-like to odorless |
| Density | 0.77 g/cm3[2][3] |
| Melting point | 18.18 °C (64.72 °F; 291.33 K)[2] |
| Boiling point | 286.9 °C (548.4 °F; 560.0 K)[2] |
| log P | 8.859 |
| Vapor pressure | < 0.1 mbar (20 °C) |
Henry's law constant (kH) |
43 nmol Pa−1 kg−1 |
| −187.6·10−6 cm3/mol[4] | |
| Thermal conductivity | 0.140 W/(m·K)[5] |
Refractive index (nD) |
1.4329[2] |
| Viscosity | 3.03 mPa·s[6] |
| Thermochemistry[7] | |
Heat capacity (C) |
501.6 J K−1 mol−1 |
Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfH⦵298) |
−456.1 kJ mol−1 |
| Hazards | |
| GHS labelling: | |
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| Warning | |
| H315 | |
| Flash point | 136 °C (277 °F; 409 K)[8] |
| 202 °C (396 °F; 475 K)[8] | |
| Related compounds | |
Related alkanes |
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Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Cetane number
Cetane is often used as a shorthand for cetane number, a measure of the combustion of diesel fuel.[10] Cetane ignites very easily under compression; for this reason, it is assigned a cetane number of 100, and serves as a reference for other fuel mixtures.[11]
Hexadecyl radical
Hexadecyl, or cetyl, is an alkyl radical of carbon and hydrogen derived from hexadecane, with formula C16H33 and with mass 225.433,[12] occurring especially in cetyl alcohol.[13] It confers strong hydrophobicity on molecules containing it.[14] Carboplatin modified with hexadecyl and polyethylene glycol has increased liposolubility and PEGylation, and is proposed to useful in chemotherapy, specifically non-small-cell lung cancer.[15]
Hexadecyl was used from 1982 for radiolabelling,[16] and this continues to be useful,[17] for example for radiolabelling exosomes and hydrogels,[18] and for positron emission tomography.[19]
Hexadecyl platelet-activating factor has profound effects on the lung,[20] and hexadecyl glyceryl ether participates in the biosynthesis of plasmalogens.[21]