alkane
Sign in to saveright|thumb|Chemical structure of methane, the simplest alkane
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An alkane is a type of molecule made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms arranged in chains or rings, with methane being the simplest example. Alkanes are important because they form the basis of many fuels like natural gas and oil, and are fundamental building blocks for countless chemicals we use daily.
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Article
45 sectionsContents
- Structure and classification
- Isomerism
- Nomenclature
- Linear alkanes
- Branched alkanes
- Saturated cyclic hydrocarbons
- Trivial/common names
- Physical properties
- Table of alkanes
- Boiling points
- Melting points
- Conductivity and solubility
- Bond lengths and bond angles
- Conformation
- Spectroscopic properties
- Infrared spectroscopy
- NMR spectroscopy
- Mass spectrometry
- Chemical properties
- Acid-base behavior
- Reactions with oxygen (combustion reaction)
- Biodegradation
- Free radical reactions
- C–H activation
- Cracking
- Isomerization and reformation
- Other reactions
- Occurrence
- Occurrence of alkanes in the Universe
- Occurrence of alkanes on Earth
- Biological occurrence
- Ecological relations
- Production
- Petroleum refining
- Coal
- Laboratory preparation
- Applications
- Fuels
- Precursors to chemicals
- Other
- Hazards
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
right|thumb|Chemical structure of methane, the simplest alkane
In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in which all the carbon–carbon bonds are single. Alkanes have the general chemical formula {{chem2|C_{n}H_{2n+2} }}. The alkanes range in complexity from the simplest case of methane (), where n = 1 (sometimes called the parent molecule), to arbitrarily large and complex molecules, like hexacontane () or 4-methyl-5-(1-methylethyl) octane, an isomer of dodecane ().