File:Methylcyclohexane.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
aliphatic compound
Sign in to saveAlso known as aliphatic compounds, aliphatics
class of chemical compounds without aromatic ring
An aliphatic compound is a type of chemical substance made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms arranged in chains or rings, but without the special ring structure called an aromatic ring that gives some chemicals their distinctive properties. These compounds are important because they make up a large portion of organic chemicals we encounter, from the fats in food to the components of plastics and oils.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
Show 1 more fact
- Commons category
- Aliphatic compounds
via Wikidata · CC0
~2 min read
Article
Acyclic aliphatic/non-aromatic compound (butane) Cyclic aliphatic/non-aromatic compound (cyclobutane)
In organic chemistry, hydrocarbons (compounds composed solely of carbon and hydrogen) are divided into two classes: aromatic compounds and aliphatic compounds (/ˌælɪˈfætɪk/; G. aleiphar, fat, oil). Aliphatic compounds can be saturated (in which all the C-C bonds are single, requiring the structure to be completed, or 'saturated', by hydrogen) like hexane, or unsaturated, like hexene and hexyne. Open-chain compounds, whether straight or branched, and which contain no rings of any type, are always aliphatic. Cyclic compounds can be aliphatic if they are not aromatic.