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 erhane 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. Alkane Boiling Point (°C) State (at 20 °C) Methane Ethane Propane Butane Pentane Hexane Heptane Octane Chemical Formula CH, С.Н. CHS CH10 C3H12 CH4 CH, C His -162 -89 42 0 36 69 98 126 Melting Point (°C) -183 -172 -188 -138 -130 -95 -91 -57 Gas Gas Gas Gas Liquid Liquid Liquid Liquid Question: The table above shows only alkanes that have relatively few carbon atoms. Some alkanes have many more carbon atoms. What properties might larger alkanes have? ​