Introduction to Hydrocarbons

A hydrocarbon is a compound made of only hydrogen and carbon atoms. Crude oil is a mixture of many different hydrocarbons.

Alkanes

Alkanes are a family of hydrocarbons with only single bonds between carbon atoms — methane, ethane, propane, and butane are the first four, each with the general formula CₙH₂ₙ₊₂.

Fractional distillation

Crude oil is separated into useful fractions (like petrol, diesel, and bitumen) by fractional distillation, which separates hydrocarbons based on their different boiling points.

Practice

Using the general formula CₙH₂ₙ₊₂, what's the formula for propane (n=3)?