Haloalkane

A simple haloalkane. "R" stands for any type of carbon chain, while "X" stands for any halogen.

Haloalkanes are alkanes that contain one or more halogens. A variety of different reactions can form these organic compounds. They cannot quickly be reacted, making them reasonably stable.

There are many kinds of haloalkanes, used for many purposes. Haloalkanes can be primary, secondary, or tertiary and could contain more than one type of halogen. Some haloalkanes contain no hydrogen atoms.

Whether the haloalkane is primary, secondary, or tertiary depends on where the halogen is placed in the molecule. Halogens placed on carbon that is attached to one other carbon atom makes the haloalkane a primary alkane. Halogens placed on carbon that is attached to two other carbon atoms makes the haloalkane a secondary alkane. Halogens placed on carbon that is attached to two other carbon atoms makes the haloalkane a secondary alkane. Halogens placed on carbon that is attached to three other carbon atoms makes the haloalkane a tertiary alkane.

Haloalkane Media

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  Tetrafluoroethane (a haloalkane) is a colorless liquid that boils well below room temperature (as seen here) and can be extracted from common canned air canisters by simply inverting them during use.

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  Chemical diagram depicting Teflon molecule structure.