Alkanes have the typical properties of covalent compounds.
The physical state at room temperature depends on the strength of the intermolecular forces, which depend on the size of the molecule. Chemically, they are relatively unreactive because of the non-polar nature of their molecules. They burn in a plentiful supply of oxygen to give carbon dioxide and steam. They react with chlorine and bromine in a free radical substitution reaction, giving halogeno-alkanes and hydrogen chloride as products. The reaction is initiated by ultra-violet radiation.