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Hydrocarbons, compounds which contain only carbon and hydrogen, can be classified into several types, depending on their structure. Aliphatic hydrocarbons are divided into three classes: alkanes have only single bonds, and are said to be saturated; alkenes and alkynes have carbon-carbon double or triple bonds, and are said to be unsaturated. Aromatic hydrocarbons are cyclic compounds whose structure is related to that of benzene, with six -electrons in a six-membered ring. But what are alkanes? Alkanes are the simplest homologous series. They form a series