Background: 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 other small alkanes are listed in the 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 boil and melt at higher temperatures.

Situation: Scientists are studying two alkanes in a laboratory, Mophane and Tripane. Scientists are analyzing the various characteristics of these alkanes to be used in future scientific studies. They discover that Mophane has more carbon atoms than Tripane. This information will definitely be useful in the future!

Question: Which alkane has a higher boiling point?
Answer: Mophane

Situation: Scientists are studying two alkanes in a laboratory, Mophane and Tripane. Scientists are analyzing the various characteristics of these alkanes to be used in future scientific studies. They discover that Mophane has more carbon atoms than Tripane. This information will definitely be useful in the future!

Question: Which alkane has a lower boiling point?
Answer: Tripane

Situation: Scientists are studying two alkanes in a laboratory, Mophane and Tripane. Scientists are analyzing the various characteristics of these alkanes to be used in future scientific studies. They discover that Mophane has more carbon atoms than Tripane. This information will definitely be useful in the future!

Question: Which alkane has a higher melting point?
Answer: Mophane

Situation: Scientists are studying two alkanes in a laboratory, Mophane and Tripane. Scientists are analyzing the various characteristics of these alkanes to be used in future scientific studies. They discover that Mophane has more carbon atoms than Tripane. This information will definitely be useful in the future!

Question: Which alkane has a lower melting point?
Answer: Tripane

Situation: Scientists are studying two alkanes in a laboratory, Mophane and Tripane. Scientists are analyzing the various characteristics of these alkanes to be used in future scientific studies. They discover that Mophane has more carbon atoms than Tripane. This information will definitely be useful in the future!

Question: Which alkane is smaller?
Answer: Tripane

Situation: Scientists are studying two alkanes in a laboratory, Mophane and Tripane. Scientists are analyzing the various characteristics of these alkanes to be used in future scientific studies. They discover that Mophane has more carbon atoms than Tripane. This information will definitely be useful in the future!

Question: Which alkane is larger?
Answer: Mophane

Situation: Two new alkanes, Hamane and Lamerane, were discovered deep in the Earth's crust and they are currently being analyzed by German scientists. It's rare to find new alkanes, so it's important to accurately document all the various features and attributes of these new finds. The first thing the scientists wanted to know was which alkane had a higher boiling point. After observation, it was found that Hamane has a much higher boiling point than Lamerane.

Question: Which alkane has more carbon atoms?
Answer: Hamane

Situation: Two new alkanes, Hamane and Lamerane, were discovered deep in the Earth's crust and they are currently being analyzed by German scientists. It's rare to find new alkanes, so it's important to accurately document all the various features and attributes of these new finds. The first thing the scientists wanted to know was which alkane had a higher boiling point. After observation, it was found that Hamane has a much higher boiling point than Lamerane.

Question: Which alkane has less carbon atoms?
Answer: Lamerane