C23

C23
Name	C23
Formula	C23
Molar mass	~276 g·mol−1
Appearance	hypothetical allotrope/compound
Density	variable
Melting point	variable
Boiling point	variable

C23.

Overview and nomenclature

C23 is presented in literature and patent filings as an identifier for carbon-containing species with twenty-three carbon atoms, used in contexts ranging from organic chemistry nomenclature to industrial petroleum fractions and material science allotrope designations. In systematic IUPAC contexts a C23 skeleton may appear in names for hydrocarbons such as alkanes, alkenes, and polycyclic systems referenced alongside examples like docosane and tricosane analogues in discussions that also cite molecules from sterol and terpene families. The label appears in inventories and regulatory lists where chain-length descriptors (C6–C12, C13–C24) classify substances in reports by institutions such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the European Chemicals Agency. Historical usage can be traced to petroleum fractionation work at companies like Standard Oil and research programs at Shell and ExxonMobil that mapped carbon-number distributions.

Chemistry and properties

Species described as C23 encompass a wide range of structural classes: straight-chain alkanes analogous to tricosane, branched isomers related to fuels studied by National Institute of Standards and Technology, unsaturated hydrocarbons connected to polyunsaturated fatty acid degradation products, and polycyclic frameworks found in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon research. Physical properties such as melting point and vapor pressure are highly dependent on isomerism; comparisons are often drawn to homologues like n-hexadecane and n-octacosane in thermophysical databases compiled by organizations including CRC Press and modeling by groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Spectroscopic fingerprints include characteristic signals in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra and vibrational modes in Infrared spectroscopy used in studies by laboratories at University of Cambridge and ETH Zurich.

Biological and medical relevance

C23-length molecules appear in biological contexts as components or metabolites: odd-chain fatty acids (C23:0 derivatives) have been detected in studies of microbial lipids by teams at Wageningen University and in analyses of human plasma in cohorts from Harvard Medical School. Some tricosane-related compounds function as insect cuticular hydrocarbons documented in entomology work at Smithsonian Institution and Natural History Museum, London where roles in pheromone communication and desiccation resistance were characterized. Medical toxicology reports from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and case studies in journals like The Lancet discuss exposures to long-chain hydrocarbons linked to aspiration pneumonitis and dermal irritation, often referencing chain-length-dependent effects compared with shorter alkanes studied by World Health Organization panels.

Industrial and environmental applications

C23-class components are found in lubricants, waxes, and paraffin formulations produced by companies such as Shell, Chevron, and ExxonMobil; they are discussed in standards from ASTM International for wax melting behavior and in trade literature from BASF and Dow Chemical Company about performance additives. In petroleum processing, distillation cuts characterized by carbon number distributions (including C23 fractions) inform catalytic cracking strategies studied at Imperial College London and TotalEnergies research centers. Environmental monitoring programs run by agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and European Environment Agency quantify long-chain hydrocarbons in marine oil-spill assessments and in sediment records examined by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Analytical methods and detection

Analytical workflows targeting C23-containing species follow protocols established in chromatographic and spectrometric laboratories at institutions like Agilent Technologies collaborations and Thermo Fisher Scientific method validations. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) using columns referenced in ISO methods separates C23 isomers; high-temperature capillary GC columns and temperature-programmed analysis are common in reports from American Chemical Society publications. Complementary techniques include two-dimensional GC (GC×GC) demonstrated by groups at University of California, Davis and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) approaches used in metabolomics studies at European Molecular Biology Laboratory.

Regulations and safety

Regulatory treatment of substances described by carbon number (including C23 fractions) appears in guidance from European Chemicals Agency under REACH registration frameworks and in U.S. Food and Drug Administration listings when relevant to food-contact waxes. Occupational exposure limits and safety data for long-chain hydrocarbons are addressed in standards from Occupational Safety and Health Administration and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists; disposal and environmental release guidelines appear in directives from the European Commission and rulings referenced in case law from courts interpreting Clean Water Act provisions. Transportation classifications by agencies such as International Maritime Organization specify packing and labeling for hydrocarbon cargos where chain length influences flash point and hazard categorization.

Research and developments

Current research spans synthetic methodologies for constructing C23 scaffolds in organic synthesis labs at California Institute of Technology and Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, computational studies of conformational space using resources at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and materials science efforts exploring long-chain carbon assemblies for phase-change materials at MIT and University of Oxford. Environmental science projects at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Stockholm University examine fate and transport of long-chain hydrocarbons in climate-impacted systems. Patents filed by corporations like ExxonMobil and Sasol describe proprietary processes to isolate and functionalize C23 fractions for specialty waxes and lubricants.

Category:Carbon compounds