Which of the following statements is true about alkynes?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following statements is true about alkynes?
They are less reactive than alkenes.
They are more acidic than alkenes.
They cannot undergo addition reactions.
They have a higher boiling point than alkenes.
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following statements is true about alkynes?
Step 1: Understand what alkynes are. Alkynes are hydrocarbons that contain at least one triple bond between carbon atoms.
Step 2: Know what alkenes are. Alkenes are hydrocarbons that contain at least one double bond between carbon atoms.
Step 3: Learn about hybridization. Hybridization is a concept in chemistry that describes how atomic orbitals mix to form new hybrid orbitals.
Step 4: Identify the hybridization of carbon in alkynes. In alkynes, the carbon atoms involved in the triple bond are sp hybridized.
Step 5: Identify the hybridization of carbon in alkenes. In alkenes, the carbon atoms involved in the double bond are sp2 hybridized.
Step 6: Understand acidity in terms of hybridization. The more s character in a hybrid orbital, the more acidic the hydrogen atoms attached to that carbon are.
Step 7: Compare the s character. sp hybridization (in alkynes) has 50% s character, while sp2 hybridization (in alkenes) has 33% s character.
Step 8: Conclude that since alkynes have more s character, they are more acidic than alkenes.
