What is an alkane?

An alkane is defined as a hydrocarbon that contains only single covalent bonds between its carbon atoms. This means that in alkanes, each carbon atom is connected to other carbon atoms or hydrogen atoms by single bonds (sigma bonds), which are characterized by the sharing of one pair of electrons between atoms. The general formula for alkanes is CnH2n+2, where "n" represents the number of carbon atoms.

This characteristic of having only single bonds differentiates alkanes from other classes of hydrocarbons. For instance, alkenes contain double bonds, while alkynes contain triple bonds. Additionally, the option stating that a hydrocarbon is without carbon is inherently contradictory since hydrocarbons are, by definition, compounds consisting primarily of hydrogen and carbon.

Understanding the structure of alkanes provides insights into their chemical properties, such as their relatively low reactivity compared to compounds with double or triple bonds, making them a fundamental category in organic chemistry.