Alkane

Quick meaning: Alkane is a noun meaning (organic chemistry) Any acyclic saturated hydrocarbon (methane, ethane, etc.).

Meaning

(organic chemistry) Any acyclic saturated hydrocarbon (methane, ethane, etc.).

Example Sentences

The oxidation of the simplest alkane methanol is carried out by methylotrophs that may be obligate or facultative.

The carbon chain of an alkane may be linear or branched, but must not contain loops (cycles); its chemical formula is of the form CₙH₂ₙ₊₂.

Whereas production levels of short-chain alkanes in plants are insufficient to provide an economically viable fuel source, the genes encoding the alkane biosynthetic pathway may provide a biotechnological resource for engineering fermentation organisms with the capacity to convert biomass to an alkane-based fuel.

2012, Chulsung Bae, Chapter 3: Catalytic Carbon-Boron Bond Formation via Activation of Alkane C-H Bonds, Pedro J. Pérez, Alkane C-H Activation by Single-Site Metal Catalysis, Springer, page 73, Alkanes are extremely unreactive toward nucleophiles and electrophiles because they are composed of nonpolar, strong, saturated C–H and C-C bonds.

Word Forms

• alkanes

Synonyms for alkane

Depending on context, synonyms include paraffin.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include paraffin, alkene, cycloalkane, alkanone, alkyne, dihaloalkane.

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