hydrocarbons

1. Chemical compounds whose main feature is a long chain of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms. Hydrocarbons are organic molecules (see also organic molecule ).

Notes

Many hydrocarbons are used as fuels. Some examples of hydrocarbon fuels are the components of gasoline; methane, which is the main ingredient of natural gas; and some components of wood.

Example Sentences

Their decay proceeded without a ready supply of oxygen, producing hydrocarbons like methane instead of oxygen-bearing molecules.

From The Daily Beast

Methane (chemical formula CH4) is one of the simplest hydrocarbons, which literally means “containing hydrogen and carbon.”

From The Daily Beast

Burning charcoal generates hydrocarbons, particulate air pollution, wildfires, and carbon footprints.

From The Daily Beast

Because that global economic decline dried up demand for oil, the price of hydrocarbons fell 75 percent.

From The Daily Beast

Hydrocarbons are an amazingly energy-dense and affordable form of storage for the energy needed to propel a vehicle.

From The Daily Beast

Other volatile hydrocarbons of like origin are often confounded with eupione by chemical writers.

From Project Gutenberg

The compounds derived from crude petroleum are composed principally of hydrogen and carbon and are termed “Hydrocarbons.”

From Project Gutenberg

The hydrocarbons consist largely of benzene, which requires three times as much air for complete combustion as acetylene does.

From Project Gutenberg

Hydrocarbons are necessarily borrowed from the vegetable foods.

From Project Gutenberg

The hydrocarbons constitute a most important series of organic compounds.

From Project Gutenberg