alkane

[ al-keyn ]
/ ˈæl keɪn /

noun Chemistry.

any member of the alkane series.

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Origin of alkane

First recorded in 1895–1900; alk(yl) + -ane

Words nearby alkane

alkalize, alkaloid, alkaloidal, alkalosis, alkaluria, alkane, alkane series, alkanet, alkanethiol, alkannin, alkapton
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for alkane

British Dictionary definitions for alkane

alkane
/ (ˈælkeɪn) /

noun

  1. any saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon with the general formula C n H 2 n +2
  2. (as modifier)alkane series
Also called: paraffin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for alkane

alkane
[ ăl′kān′ ]

n.

Any of various saturated open-chain hydrocarbons having the general formula CnH2n+2, the most abundant of which is methane.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for alkane

alkane
[ ăl′kān′ ]

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.