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Carbon Hydrogen Bond

The carbon-hydrogen bond is a covalent single bond that is found in many organic compounds. It forms when carbon shares its outer valence electrons with up to four hydrogen atoms, completing the outer electron shells of both atoms. Carbon-hydrogen bonds have a typical bond length of 1.09 angstroms and bond energy of around 413 kJ/mol. The bond is generally non-polar due to the small electronegativity difference between carbon and hydrogen. Compound classes consisting solely of carbon-hydrogen and carbon-carbon bonds include alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, and aromatic hydrocarbons, collectively known as hydrocarbons.

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24 views2 pages

Carbon Hydrogen Bond

The carbon-hydrogen bond is a covalent single bond that is found in many organic compounds. It forms when carbon shares its outer valence electrons with up to four hydrogen atoms, completing the outer electron shells of both atoms. Carbon-hydrogen bonds have a typical bond length of 1.09 angstroms and bond energy of around 413 kJ/mol. The bond is generally non-polar due to the small electronegativity difference between carbon and hydrogen. Compound classes consisting solely of carbon-hydrogen and carbon-carbon bonds include alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, and aromatic hydrocarbons, collectively known as hydrocarbons.

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vijay kumar honnali
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Carbon–hydrogen bond

In chemistry, the carbon-hydrogen bond (C−H bond) is a chemical


bond between carbon and hydrogen atoms that can be found in many organic
compounds.[1] This bond is a covalent, single bond, meaning that carbon shares its
outer valence electrons with up to four hydrogens. This completes both of their outer
shells, making them stable.[2]
Carbon–hydrogen bonds have a bond length of about 1.09 Å (1.09 × 10−10 m) and
a bond energy of about 413 kJ/mol (see table below). Using Pauling's scale—C (2.55)
and H (2.2)—the electronegativity difference between these two atoms is 0.35. Because
of this small difference in electronegativities, the C−H bond is generally regarded as
being non-polar. In structural formulas of molecules, the hydrogen atoms are often
omitted. Compound classes consisting solely of C−H bonds
and C−C bonds are alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, and aromatic hydrocarbons. Collectively
they are known as hydrocarbons.
In October 2016, astronomers reported that the very basic chemical ingredients of life—
the carbon-hydrogen molecule (CH, or methylidyne radical), the carbon-hydrogen
positive ion (CH+) and the carbon ion (C+)—are the result, in large part, of ultraviolet
light from stars, rather than in other ways, such as the result of turbulent events related
to supernovae and young stars, as thought earlier.[3]

Bond length[edit]
The length of the carbon-hydrogen bond varies slightly with the hybridisation of the
carbon atom. A bond between a hydrogen atom and an sp2 hybridised carbon atom is
about 0.6% shorter than between hydrogen and sp3 hybridised carbon. A bond between
hydrogen and sp hybridised carbon is shorter still, about 3% shorter than sp3 C-H. This
trend is illustrated by the molecular geometry of ethane, ethylene and acetylene.

Comparison of bond lengths in simple hydrocarbons[4]

Molecule Methane Ethane Ethylene Acetylene

Formula CH4 C2H6 C2H4 C2H2

Class alkane alkane alkene alkyne


Structure

Hybridisat
ion of sp3 sp3 sp2 sp
carbon

C-H bond
1.087 Å 1.094 Å 1.087 Å 1.060 Å
length

Proportion
of ethane
99% 100% 99% 97%
C-H bond
length

Structure
microwave microwave microwave infrared
determinat
spectroscopy spectroscopy spectroscopy spectroscopy
ion method

Reactions[edit]
Main article: Carbon–hydrogen bond activation
The C−H bond in general is very strong, so it is relatively unreactive. In several
compound classes, collectively called carbon acids, the C−H bond can be sufficiently
acidic for proton removal. Unactivated C−H bonds are found in alkanes and are not
adjacent to a heteroatom (O, N, Si, etc.). Such bonds usually only participate in radical
substitution. Many enzymes are known, however, to effect these reactions.[5]
Although the C−H bond is one of the strongest, it varies over 30% in magnitude for fairly
stable organic compounds, even in the absence of heteroatoms.

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