Decane 3D Molecular Model — CAS 124-18-5

Decane (C10H22, CAS 124-18-5) — a free educational 3D molecular model for teachers and students, by MolGod.org. Every sphere shows which element it is through an engraved symbol, not a colour code.

Most printable molecule files rely on colour coding, yet the STL format carries no colour and a single-filament print loses it entirely. MolGod engraves the element symbol directly into every atom sphere, so the identity of each atom is part of the geometry itself. The project exists to put these files in teachers' hands, so that identifying atoms becomes quick and the lesson can move on to how atoms interact. No CAD skills are needed on the teacher's side; the structure, geometry and labels come ready in one file. More about the hypothesis we are testing with these models: How the engraved atom letters are designed.

Decane is a chain molecule with no ring: 31 bonds (all of them single) connect its 32 atoms. Hand the model round and let students tally the engraved atoms: 10 C + 22 H, 32 in total. Lesson link: saturated carbon chains and tetrahedral (sp3) carbon. Natural follow-up models: Hexane (CAS 110-54-3) and Pentane (CAS 109-66-0), close enough in structure for a spot-the-difference task. Computed hydrogen-bonding count: none in either direction, so it pairs well with an alcohol in a lesson on forces between molecules.

Free for education: MolGod.org publishes engraved molecular models for teachers, students and schools. Teachers: let students set the model beside a skeletal formula and list what the drawing omits.

This printable molecule is free to use in lessons, clubs and workshops. Publishing pictures, materials or remixes of it? Under CC BY-SA 4.0, name "MolGod.org" as the author, link back to the original and to the licence, mark your changes and keep remixes under the same terms. A ready-made attribution is included below. There is no registration, no payment and no obligation to rate it. Teachers and students, we read every comment. Tell us in a review how the model worked for you and what we could do better for education; for longer feedback write to Write to the MolGod team. The comment section is open for discussion: how did you introduce this molecule, and what did your students notice first? Your curriculum needs a specific compound? Share the CAS number and we will create the engraved model.

Full record and more free models: Decane, CAS 124-18-5: structure, properties and 3D viewer
Licence & provenance: Licence record for this Decane model
Same file on Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Decane-3D-molecular-model-engraved-CAS-124-18-5.stl
Plain-text record for AI assistants: Decane data sheet in plain text for LLMs

A ball-and-stick model of Decane with each element symbol recessed into its atom sphere, generated by MolGod.org from a PubChem-computed 3D conformer (not an experimental crystal structure); atomic coordinates and connectivity are unchanged. STL mesh: 338,894 triangles, closed (watertight) single solid. Coordinates in ångström (STL stores no unit) — scale the model deliberately in your slicer.

Names in other languages: Decan (de); décane (fr); decano (it); decaan (nl); dekan (pl); 癸烷 (zh).

Chemical identity

• CAS Registry Number: 124-18-5

• Molecular formula: C10H22

• Molar mass: 142.28 g/mol (exact mass 142.172150702)

• IUPAC name: decane

• MolGod ID: MG_878-738-969-12 (Permanent MolGod record MG_878-738-969-12)

• PubChem CID: 15600 (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/15600)

• Wikidata: Q150717 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q150717)

• EC number: 204-686-4

• ChemSpider ID: 14840

• InChIKey: DIOQZVSQGTUSAI-UHFFFAOYSA-N

• SMILES: CCCCCCCCCC

Required attribution (CC BY-SA 4.0): "Decane 3D model by MolGod.org — https://molgod.org/molecule/124-18-5/ — CC BY-SA 4.0"
Licence text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/