Coal and Petroleum


   
 
Alkanes - Introduction
Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons having only single bonds between the carbon atoms of their molecules.
 
The general formula of alkanes is CnH2n+2. Alkanes are called paraffins because of their low reactivity (in Latin paraffin means- less reactivity).
 
The following table lists the IUPAC names ,formulae and structure of the first five members of the alkane series.
 



 
The first member of the alkane series is methane.
 
  
     
   
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