Saturated hydrocarbons are given the general name of alkanes . The name of specific alkanes always ends in - ane . The first part of the name indicates how many carbon atoms each molecule of the alkane has. The smallest alkane is methane. It has just one carbon atom. The next largest is ethane, with two carbon atoms. The chemical formulas and properties of methane, ethane, and several other alkanes are listed in Table below . The boiling and melting points of alkanes are determined mainly by the number of carbon atoms they have. Alkanes with more carbon atoms generally have higher boiling and melting points.
Ian is learning about alkanes in science class and their melting and boiling points. He is given a few different alkanes try try with this test, mainly methane ethane and a third alkane that he has to test to find out what it is called Alkane C.
Based on the above, answer the following question:
Which has a more carbon atoms, Methane or Ethane?