Question
Question: Double bond equivalent of cubane is: 
A.4
B. 5
C. 6
D. 7
Solution
Double bond equivalent is used to calculate the number of unsaturation present in an organic molecule. The term unsaturated means a double bond or a ring in a molecule structure. It is the total number of pi bonds present in the structure.
Formula used:
DBE=C+1−2H+2N
where, DBE is the double bond equivalent, C is the number of carbon atoms, H is the number of hydrogen atoms, N is the number of nitrogen atoms in the molecule.
Complete step by step answer:
An unsaturated molecule is a molecule that contains double bond and triple bond and can undergo additional reactions. For example, alkenes contain one double bond and have a general formula CnH2n. Double bond equivalent is used to calculate the level of unsaturation in a molecule. The formula used for double bond equivalent is:
DBE=C+1−2H+2N
where, DBE is the double bond equivalent, C is the number of carbon atoms, H is the number of hydrogen atoms, N is the number of nitrogen atoms in the molecule.
The molecular formula of cubane is C8H8. Here, the number of carbon atoms is 8, the number of hydrogen atoms is 8 and the number of nitrogen atoms is 0.
On substituting the values in the above formula, we get,
DBE=8+1−28+20
⇒DBE=5
Therefore, the double bond equivalent of cubane is 5.
Hence, the correct option is (B).
Additional information:
Cubane is a solid crystalline substance that has a molecular formula C8H8 and consists of eight carbon atoms that are arranged at the corners of a cube and one hydrogen atom is attached to each carbon atom. It is a synthetic hydrocarbon molecule.
Note: The structure of cubane contains six rings that correspond to the six faces of a cube.
-The molecular formula of cubane is C8H8.It is a solid crystalline substance and a member of prismanes.
-Double bond equivalent is used to determine the degree of unsaturation in a molecule.
