Icosane

Template:Chembox Icosane (alternative spelling eicosane and eichosane<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>) is an alkane with the chemical formula C₂₀H₄₂. It has 366,319 constitutional isomers.

n-Icosane (the straight-chain structural isomer of icosane) is the shortest compound found in paraffin waxes used to form candles. It can be isolated from Agave attenuate leaves. It is also found in Vanilla madagascariensis and Gymnodinium nagasakiense.<ref name="Pubchem">Eicosane Pubchem</ref>

Icosane's size, state or chemical inactivity does not exclude it from the traits its smaller alkane counterparts have. It is a colorless or white, non-polar molecule, nearly unreactive except when it burns. It is less dense than and insoluble in water. Its non-polar trait means it can only perform weak intermolecular bonding (hydrophobic/van der Waals forces).

Icosane's phase transition at a moderate temperature makes it a candidate phase change material, or PCM which can be used to store thermal energy and control temperature.

It can be detected in the body odor of persons suffering from Parkinson's disease.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

NamingEdit

IUPAC currently recommends icosane,<ref name=IUPAC1>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> whereas Chemical Abstracts Service and Beilstein use eicosane.<ref name=IUPAC2>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

Icosane at Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

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Icosane

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NamingEdit

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