keɪnBased on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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alkane (ˈælkeɪn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| Also called: paraffin | |
| a. any saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon with the general formula CnH2n+2 | |
| b. (as modifier): alkane series | |
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| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
alkane al·kane (āl'kān')
n.
Any of various saturated open-chain hydrocarbons having the general formula CnH2n+2, the most abundant of which is methane.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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alkane  (āl'kān') Pronunciation Key
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. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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alkane
any of the saturated hydrocarbons having the general formula CnH2n+2, C being a carbon atom, H a hydrogen atom, and n an integer. The paraffins are major constituents of natural gas and petroleum. Paraffins containing fewer than 5 carbon atoms per molecule are usually gaseous at room temperature, those having 5 to 15 carbon atoms are usually liquids, and the straight-chain paraffins having more than 15 carbon atoms per molecule are solids. Branched-chain paraffins have a much higher octane number rating than straight-chain paraffins and, therefore, are the more desirable constituents of gasoline. The hydrocarbons are immiscible with water but are soluble in absolute alcohol, ether, and acetone. All paraffins are colourless.
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