Saturated hydrocarbons are a class of hydrocarbons that contain only single bonds between carbon atoms and the maximum number of hydrogen atoms for each carbon atom/10%3A_Organic_Chemistry/10.04%3A_Alkanes%3A_Saturated_Hydrocarbons). They are also called alkanes and are the simplest class of hydrocarbons/10%3A_Organic_Chemistry/10.04%3A_Alkanes%3A_Saturated_Hydrocarbons). The word "saturated" means that each carbon atom is bonded to four other atoms (hydrogen or carbon), and there are no double or triple bonds in the molecules/10%3A_Organic_Chemistry/10.04%3A_Alkanes%3A_Saturated_Hydrocarbons). The general formula for saturated hydrocarbons or alkanes is CnH2n+2, where n is the number of carbon atoms in one molecule of the alkane. Methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), and propane (C3H8) are examples of saturated hydrocarbons/10%3A_Organic_Chemistry/10.04%3A_Alkanes%3A_Saturated_Hydrocarbons). Saturated hydrocarbons are generally less reactive than unsaturated hydrocarbons, which contain double or triple bonds between carbon atoms.