Hydrocarbons
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An alkane is an organic molecule composed of only carbon and hydrogen, arranged in a straight chain with only single carbon-carbon bonds. Their empirical formula, derived from the number of carbon atoms, n, is CnH2n+2.
Names for the first four alkanes are historic, while the names for those with six or more carbons are derived from the Greek prefix for the number of carbon atoms in the molecule.
| IUPAC name | Carbons | Column 3 Header |
|---|---|---|
| Methane | 1 | CH4 |
| Ethane | 2 | CH3CH3 |
| Propane | 3 | CH3CH2CH3 |
| Butane | 4 | CH3(CH2)2CH3 |
| Pentane | 5 | CH3(CH2)3CH3 |
| Hexane | 6 | CH3(CH2)4CH3 |
| Heptane | 7 | CH3(CH2)5CH3 |
| Octane | 8 | CH3(CH2)6CH3 |
| Nonane | 9 | CH3(CH2)7CH3 |
| Decane | 10 | CH3(CH2)8CH3 |
| Undecane | 11 | CH3(CH2)9CH3 |
| Dodecane | 12 | CH3(CH2)10CH3 |