Alkane

Alkanes are substances that belong to a homologous series of organic compounds taht contain the elements carbon and hydrogen only, and whose members differ by constant relative molecular mass of 14. In an alkane, each carbon atom and hydrogen atom are held together saturated covalent bonds; the general molecular formula for alkanes is CnH2n+2. In contemporary industrial societies, these hydrocarbons are most often as fuels and to produce chemicals, such as methane and octane. These chemicals are derived from the fractional distillation of crude oil and via catalytic cracking.