alkane

noun Chemistry.

1. any member of the alkane series.

noun

1. 1. any saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon with the general formula C n H 2 n +2
   2. (as modifier)alkane series

   Also called: paraffin

n.

1. Any of various saturated open-chain hydrocarbons having the general formula CnH2n+2, the most abundant of which is methane.

1. Any of a group of hydrocarbons that have carbon atoms in chains linked by single bonds and that have the general formula CnH2n+2. Alkanes can be either gaseous, liquid, or solid. They occur naturally in petroleum and natural gas, and include methane, propane and butane. Also called paraffin♦ The group of alkanes as a whole is called the alkane series or the methane or paraffin series. Its first six members are methane, ethane, propane, butane, pentane, and hexane.