A colorless, flammable liquid made of five carbon atoms linked in a ring, with no double bonds.
From 'cyclo-' (circle) + 'penta-' (five) + 'ane' (single bonds), describing a saturated five-carbon ring. First synthesized in the late 19th century.
Cyclopentane has a nearly perfect geometric shape—five carbons arranged in an almost perfect pentagon—but in reality, it puckers into an envelope-like shape to avoid molecular strain, which chemists find endlessly fascinating.
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