What is the general formula for alkanes?

The general formula for alkanes is CₙH₂ₙ₊₂. Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons, meaning they contain only single bonds between carbon atoms, and they are classified as having the maximum number of hydrogen atoms bonded to the carbon skeleton, which follows the pattern defined by this formula.

In this formula, 'n' represents the number of carbon atoms in the alkane molecule. For every carbon atom, there are two hydrogen atoms plus an additional two hydrogen atoms, resulting in the total count of H being 2n + 2. This accounts for the structure of linear and branched alkanes since each end carbon in an alkane is bonded to three hydrogen atoms while all other carbons are bonded to two hydrogens.

Understanding this formula helps in predicting the molecular formulas of various alkanes based on the number of carbon atoms present. For example, for methane (1 carbon), n=1, so the formula is C₁H₄ (which is 2(1)+2); for ethane (2 carbons), n=2, resulting in C₂H₆ (which is 2(2)+2), and so forth.

This distinguishes alkanes from