alkanes
Hydrocarbons are molecules that contain only carbon and hydrogen atoms. Because each carbon atom can form covalent bonds with up to four other atoms, very large and complex molecules can be formed just from these two elements. Hydrocarbons in which all carbons are connected by single bonds are known as alkanes . If a C=C double bond is present, the compound is now an alkene . A triple bond between two carbons CC makes the compound an alkyne . Hydrocarbons can also be broadly classified as either saturated , which means they contain no multiple bonds, or unsaturated , which means they contain at least one double or triple bond.