MISCELLANEOUS AND USEFUL CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS (Part-IV)

Topaz is a silicate mineral containing fluorine and aluminium (Al). Its chemical formula is Al₂SiO₄(F,OH)₂. It is used as a gemstone in jewelry.

Methane (CH₄) is a saturated hydrocarbon gas, which is the major constituent of natural gas. It is also called marsh gas because it also comes out of marshy land. Explosions occur only due to the leakage of methane in coal mines.

Methane is not a halogen gas, as it does not contain any halogen elements (chlorine, iodine, bromine, etc.) combined, while carbon tetra chloride, iodomethane, and bromomethane are halogen gases.

Butane and isobutane are structural isomers. Their chemical properties are different from each other. Butane has four carbon atoms bonded in a straight chain, whereas isobutane has a branched structure.

Aldehydes are organic compounds in which an aldehyde group (-CHO) is attached to an alkyl radical. Hence propanal (CH₃CHO) is an aldehyde.

A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction. The catalyst itself does not participate in the reaction but affects the rate of action.

Fullerene is a very useful allotrope of carbon. In this complex form of carbon, the carbon atoms join each other in a hexagonal or pentagonal form to form a cage structure. It was created in the year 1985 by Richard Smalley and his colleagues.

Catalysts are substances that increase or decrease the rate of reaction when added to a chemical reaction. They do not participate in the reaction but only affect the rate of action. Catalysts were discovered by Berzelius in 1835.

Benzene is a hydrocarbon with the molecular formula C₆H₆. The benzene molecule is made up of 6 carbon atoms. It was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1825. It is a colorless, highly flammable liquid with a foul odor.

Oxygen is a colorless, tasteless, and odorless gas. In its discovery, realization, or preliminary study, J. Priestley and C.W. Scheele played significant roles. In 1772, Carl Scheele prepared oxygen gas by heating potassium nitrate, which has atomic number 8 and atomic weight 16.