Definition of hydrocarbon Hydrocarbon

/hajˌdɹowkɑˈɹbʌn/ - [haydrowkarbun] - hy•dro•car•bon

We found 7 definitions of hydrocarbon from 7 different sources.

What does hydrocarbon mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: hydrocarbons
hydrocarbon - an organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen
		organic compound any compound of carbon and another element or a radical
		chlorobenzene a colorless volatile flammable liquid with an almond odor that is made from chlorine and benzene; used as a solvent and in the production of phenol and DDT and other organic compounds
		aromatic compound a hydrocarbon containing one or more benzene rings that are characteristic of the benzene series of compounds
		gasohol a gasoline substitute consisting of 90% gasoline and 10% grain alcohol from corn
		gasolene, gasoline, petrol, gas a volatile flammable mixture of hydrocarbons (hexane and heptane and octane etc.) derived from petroleum; used mainly as a fuel in internal-combustion engines
		coal oil, kerosene, kerosine, lamp oil a flammable hydrocarbon oil used as fuel in lamps and heaters
		aromatic hydrocarbon a hydrocarbon that contains one or more benzene rings that are characteristic of the benzene series of organic compounds
		indene a colorless liquid hydrocarbon extracted from petroleum or coal tar and used in making synthetic resins
		cymene any of three isotopes of a colorless aromatic liquid hydrocarbon occurring in the volatile oil of cumin and thyme and used in the manufacture of synthetic resins
		dioxin any of several toxic or carcinogenic hydrocarbons that occur as impurities in herbicides
		c2h6, ethane a colorless odorless alkane gas used as fuel
		bottled gas, liquefied petroleum gas hydrocarbon gases, usually propane or butane, kept under pressure
		bitumen any of various naturally occurring impure mixtures of hydrocarbons
		butadiene a gaseous hydrocarbon C4H6; used in making synthetic rubbers
		naphtha any of various volatile flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures; used chiefly as solvents
		naphthalene a white crystalline strong-smelling hydrocarbon made from coal tar or petroleum and used in organic synthesis and as a fumigant in mothballs
		pyrene the small hard nutlet of a drupe or drupelet; the seed and the hard endocarp that surrounds it
		octane any isomeric saturated hydrocarbon found in petroleum and used as a fuel and solvent
		gas oil an oil formed through distillation of petroleum of intermediate boiling range and viscosity
		terpene an unsaturated hydrocarbon obtained from plants

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Wiktionary

hydrocarbon (Noun)
A compound consisting only of carbon and hydrogen atoms.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

hydrocarbon (n.)
A compound containing only hydrogen and carbon, as methane, benzene, etc.; also, by extension, any of their derivatives.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

hydrocarbon
A very large group of chemical compounds composed only of carbon and hydrogen.\n(Source: MGH)

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

hydrocarbon
hī-dro-kär′bon, n. a compound of hydrogen and carbon.—Hydrocarbon furnace, a furnace in which liquid fuel, as petroleum, is used

Wikipedia

A hydrocarbon is a type of chemical compound. It is made of only hydrogen and carbon atoms.

They can be found in crude oil and are separated by fractional distillation (which means they are separated into different groups)

Hydrocarbon "Families".

Hydrocarbons are grouped into "families" or "homologous series". There are five main families. The hydrocarbons in each family have a general formula and similar physical and chemical properties.

Alkanes.

Alkanes are the simplest hydrocarbons. Their general formula is CnH2n+2.

Alkenes.

Alkenes are similar to alkanes. The main difference between them is that alkenes have a carbon to carbon double bond. The general formula for the alkenes is CnH2n.

Note that there is not "Methene". Methene is not possible as alkenes require a carbon-carbon double bond and methane only has one carbon atom.

Alkynes.

Alkynes have a carbon to carbon triple bond. CnH2n-2 is their general formula.

"Methyne" does not exist because of methane's one carbon atom.

Cycloalkanes.

Cycloalkanes are isomers of alkenes. They have the same general formula (CnH2n), the only difference is that they do not have a carbon to carbon double bond.

Note that the alkane Methane and the alkene Ethene do not have a cycloalkane because they can only form a straight line.

Alkadiene.

Alkadienes have two carbon to carbon double bonds. Their general formula is CnH2n-2. They are isomers of Alkynes.

Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

Aromatic hydrocarbons are aromatic organic molecules that form flat