Alcane

Alcane is not a distinct term widely recognized in modern chemistry. In standard chemical nomenclature, the correct term is alkane, and alcane is typically encountered as a misspelling or transliteration artifact in non-English texts. When readers see alcane, it is usually intended to refer to the same class of compounds described by the term alkane.

Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons composed only of carbon and hydrogen with single covalent bonds between carbon atoms. The general formula for acyclic (non-cyclic) alkanes is CnH2n+2, where n is the number of carbon atoms. They can be straight-chain (n-alkanes) or branched (isoalkanes). Cycloalkanes, a related subclass, have the general formula CnH2n and form ring structures. Common examples include methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), and butane (C4H10).

Chemically, alkanes are relatively unreactive compared with other hydrocarbon families, requiring strong reagents to undergo substitution or oxidation. They are major constituents of fossil fuels and serve as important feedstocks in the chemical industry, where they are converted into more reactive hydrocarbons and other chemicals. Their properties, such as boiling points and densities, increase with molecular size and branching patterns influence behavior in mixtures and reactions.

Because alcane is not a standard term, readers are advised to use alkane in scholarly writing and to treat alcane as a probable misspelling or contextual variant. See also alkane, cycloalkane, and hydrocarbon.