What are hydrocarbons?

A hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting of only hydrogen and carbon atoms. They are group 14 hybrids, which means they contain hydrogen, as well as atoms of the carbon 14 group; carbon, silicon, germanium, tin, and lead. Carbon has 4 electrons, which means it has exactly 4 bonds to make, to be stable. Another type of hydrocarbons are aromatic hydrocarbons, which include alkanes, cycloalkanes, and alkyne-based compounds. Hydrocarbons can form more complex compounds, like cyclohexane, by bonding to themselves. This is known as catenation.

Common hydrocarbons:

• Methane(CH₄)
• Ethane(C₂H₆)
• Propane(C₃H₈)
• Butane(C₄H₁₀)
• Pentane(C₅H₁₂)
• Hexane(C₆H₁₄)

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