alkane

[ al-keyn ]

nounChemistry.
  1. any member of the alkane series.

Origin of alkane

1
First recorded in 1895–1900; alk(yl) + -ane

Words Nearby alkane

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How to use alkane in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alkane

alkane

/ (ˈælkeɪn) /


noun
  1. : Also called: paraffin

    • any saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon with the general formula C n H 2 n +2

    • (as modifier): alkane series

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

Scientific definitions for alkane

alkane

[ ălkān′ ]


  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.

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