What are alkanes?

What are alkanes?

• A. Hydrocarbons that contain only single bonds
• B. Hydrocarbons with double bonds
• C. Hydrocarbons with triple bonds
• D. Aromatic hydrocarbons

Answer: (A)

Alkanes are hydrocarbons that contain only single bonds between carbon atoms. This means they are saturated, holding the maximum number of hydrogens for a given carbon skeleton. For unbranched chains, their formula is CnH2n+2, and each carbon is sp3 hybridized, giving a tetrahedral arrangement around carbon. Because there are no carbon–carbon double or triple bonds, alkanes are distinguished from other hydrocarbon classes: alkenes have carbon–carbon double bonds, alkynes have carbon–carbon triple bonds, and aromatic hydrocarbons include ring systems with delocalized electrons (not just plain single-bond chains). Examples include methane, ethane, propane, and butane. In typical conditions they’re relatively unreactive and mainly participate in combustion or substitution reactions.

Alkanes are hydrocarbons that contain only single bonds between carbon atoms. This means they are saturated, holding the maximum number of hydrogens for a given carbon skeleton. For unbranched chains, their formula is CnH2n+2, and each carbon is sp3 hybridized, giving a tetrahedral arrangement around carbon. Because there are no carbon–carbon double or triple bonds, alkanes are distinguished from other hydrocarbon classes: alkenes have carbon–carbon double bonds, alkynes have carbon–carbon triple bonds, and aromatic hydrocarbons include ring systems with delocalized electrons (not just plain single-bond chains). Examples include methane, ethane, propane, and butane. In typical conditions they’re relatively unreactive and mainly participate in combustion or substitution reactions.