What is an alkane? Any hydrocarbon which has only single bonds is an alkane and because these
hydrocarbons have a hydrogen in all possible locations they are called saturated and thus they
have this general formula, CnH2n+2.
But an alkyne is an unsaturated hydrocarbon which has at least one carbon-carbon triple bond
without any other functional groups thus they have given general formula of CnH2n-2.
Cis-trans isomerism is a type of stereoisomerism in which the position of the functional groups
differs, also known as geometric isomerism. The different is the orientation of the functional
groups as we know in cis isomerism the both functional groups are on the same side though in
trans isomerism they are located on the opposite side.
In retinal section of the eye the visual pigment are located which contain rhodopsin which has a
reddish color in darkness but as it’s exposed to light the color fades. The rhodopsin molecules
contain opsin and 11-cis-retinal which is a derivative of vitamin A. In darkness opsin and 11-cis-
retinal are matched nicely but as rhodopsin is exposed to light the 11-cis-retinal changes into all-
trans-retinal and then it doesn’t match rhodopsin anymore so they separate. These changes are
transmitted to the nerves in the eye and then to the brain. Thus stereoisomerism plays an
important role in vision. All-trans-retinal is catalyzed back to 11-cis-retinal by an enzyme so the
process can be done once again as it’s exposed to light.
Haloalkanes are a group of chemical compounds, derived from alkanes which contain one or
More halogens. They are also known as alkyl halides or halogenoalkanes. Haloalkanes are a
subset of halocarbons’ general class.
Halothane is a haloalkane which is used as a general anesthetic. Halothan is a liquid but it is
vaporized and used as an inhalation anesthetic. It’s formula is 2-bromo-2-chloro-1, 1, 1-trifluoro-
ethane. C2HBrClF3.
Basically it undergoes extensive oxidation and reduction metabolism. The metabolic product of
halothane is Trifluoroacetic acid, Bromide, Chloride, Fluoride. We should note that the precise
mechanism of action is not known clearly yet.
References
Alkanes. (n.d.). hyperphysics. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/organic/alkane.html
Vision. (n.d.). Elmhurst College: Elmhurst, Illinois. Retrieved August 15, 2013, from http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/533cistrans.html
al., P. e. (n.d.). Vision and Light-Induced Molecular Changes. Department of Chemistry | Washington University in St. Louis. Retrieved August 15, 2013, from http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~edudev/LabTutorials/Vision/Vision.html
Organic Chemistry/Alkanes. (2013, January 18). Wikibooks, The Free Textbook Project. Retrieved 09:09, August 15, 2013 from http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=Organic_Chemistry/Alkanes&oldid=2479193.
Organic Chemistry/Alkynes. (2013, May 28). Wikibooks, The Free Textbook Project. Retrieved 09:10, August 15, 2013 from http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=Organic_Chemistry/Alkynes&oldid=2529842.
Haloalkane. (n.d.). http://www.princeton.edu. Retrieved August 15, 2013, from www.sciencedaily.com/articles/h/haloalkane.htm
Halothane Official FDA information, side effects and uses.. (n.d.). Drugs.com | Prescription Drug Information, Interactions & Side Effects. Retrieved August 15, 2013, from http://www.drugs.com/pro/halothane.html
Fluothane. (n.d.). Rxlist. Retrieved August 15, 2013, from www.rxlist.com/fluothane-drug.htm
Halothane | Anesthesia General. (n.d.). Anesthesia General - General, Regional Anesthesia and Critical care. Retrieved August 15, 2013, from http://anesthesiageneral.com/halothane/
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