• Classes of Hydrocarbons - An Overview
• 3D Models - Cyclic Hydrocarbons
• 3D Models - Bicyclic Compounds
• 3D Models - Spiro Compounds
• 3D Models - Polycyclic Compounds
• 3D Models - Fluctuating Structures
• 3D Models - Benzene Isomers
• 3D Models - Helicenes
• 3D Models - Phanes
• 3D Models - Fullerenes

This section is intended to be used by interested students who want to get an overview on the structures of different classes of hydrocarbons. The various types of structures are accessible through the menu on the left. All molecular structures presented in this section require the MDL Chime plugin to be installed for your web browser. Unfortunately, this is available for Windows (IE only) and MacIntosh operating systems only.

Many molecular geometries were obtained from the Cambridge Crystallographic data file (CCDF) of solid-state structures or by simple force-field based geometry optimizations. The bond-lengths and angles do not necessarily correspond to the 'real' and correct values, but the molecular geometries shown on these pages nevertheless provide an growing pool of 3D information and may provide some 'ideas' on the shapes of molecules.

For some issues on the nomenclature of hydrocarbons and other compounds see:

• IUPAC Recommendations on Organic & Biochemical Nomenclature, Symbols & Terminology
• IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry