Meaning & use
aliphatic
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounchemistry
Describing a carbon compound whose atoms are joined in straight or branched chains rather than in an aromatic ring.
Grammar: Used before a noun in chemistry: an aliphatic compound.
Patterns
- aliphatic compound
- aliphatic hydrocarbon
Hexane is an aliphatic hydrocarbon found in many solvents.
The student sorted the molecules into aliphatic and aromatic groups.
Aliphatic chains can be straight or branched.
Common combinations
- aliphatic compound
- Methane is the simplest aliphatic compound.
- aliphatic hydrocarbon
- Propane is an aliphatic hydrocarbon used as fuel.
- aliphatic chain
- The fatty acid has a long aliphatic chain.
- aliphatic alcohol
- Ethanol is a common aliphatic alcohol.
Synonyms and how they differ
- non-aromatic
- Non-aromatic simply says there is no aromatic ring, while aliphatic names the chain-based class itself.
- acyclic
- Acyclic means the carbons form no ring at all, so it excludes ring-shaped aliphatic compounds known as alicyclic ones.
Opposites
Word family
- alicyclic adjective
- aliphatic but arranged in a ring
- aromatic adjective
- containing a stable ring such as benzene
- hydrocarbon noun
- a compound of only carbon and hydrogen
Commonly confused: aliphatic or aromatic?
aliphatic vs aromatic
Aromatic compounds contain ring structures such as benzene, so it is the structural opposite of aliphatic, not a word about smell here.
Practice
Which compound is aliphatic?
Choose one answer.
Hexane is an open chain of carbon atoms. The other three contain aromatic rings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aliphatic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.