Here's why:
* Alkanes are hydrocarbons, meaning they are composed of only carbon and hydrogen atoms.
* They are saturated hydrocarbons, meaning they have the maximum number of hydrogen atoms possible for each carbon atom.
* This saturation means that each carbon atom in an alkane is bonded to four other atoms (either carbon or hydrogen) through single bonds.
Other families of organic compounds, like alkenes, alkynes, and aromatic compounds, contain double or triple bonds between carbon atoms.
