The chemical formula C_{n}h_{2n+2) and its mathematical background
The Teaching of Mathematics, XI (2008) no. 2, p. 53
Cet article a éte moissonné depuis la source eLibrary of Mathematical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Already in the elementary school,
on the chemistry classes, students are told that the general
formula of alkanes is $C_nH_{2n+2}$. No proof of this claim is
offered, either then or at any higher level. We now show how this
formula can be proven in a mathematically satisfactory manner. To
do this we have to establish a number of elementary properties of
the mathematical objects called trees.
Classification :
05C05 05C90 K34
Keywords: Graph Theory, Trees, Chemistry, Alkanes.
Keywords: Graph Theory, Trees, Chemistry, Alkanes.
@article{TM2_2008_XI_2_a0,
author = {Ivan Gutman},
title = {The chemical formula {C_{n}h_{2n+2)} and its mathematical background},
journal = {The Teaching of Mathematics},
pages = {53 },
year = {2008},
volume = {XI},
number = {2},
language = {en},
url = {http://geodesic.mathdoc.fr/item/TM2_2008_XI_2_a0/}
}
Ivan Gutman. The chemical formula C_{n}h_{2n+2) and its mathematical background. The Teaching of Mathematics, XI (2008) no. 2, p. 53 . http://geodesic.mathdoc.fr/item/TM2_2008_XI_2_a0/