The general formula for alkynes is CnH2n-2.
Here’s what the formula means:
- C stands for carbon.
- n represents the number of carbon atoms in the alkyne molecule.
- H stands for hydrogen.
- 2n-2 represents the number of hydrogen atoms in an alkyne molecule with n carbon atoms.
This formula shows that alkynes are hydrocarbons (compounds with only carbon and hydrogen) with one triple bond between two carbon atoms. The number of hydrogen atoms in an alkyne is two less than twice the number of carbon atoms because each carbon atom in an alkyne can bond with a maximum of four other atoms. Since there's a triple bond between two carbon atoms in an alkyne, each of those carbon atoms only has one hydrogen atom left to bond with.
