what is a hydrocarbon
10 hilariously insightful foreign words. A hydrocarbon is a molecule that is composed of only hydrogen and carbon atoms. These molecules are traditionally a major focus of study in organic chemistry, the branch of chemistry that focuses on chemical compounds involving carbon. They can be described as pure or impure.
an organic compound that contains carbon and hydrogen only. alicyclic hydrocarbon one that has cyclic structure and aliphatic properties. aliphatic hydrocarbon one in which no carbon atoms are joined to form a ring. aromatic hydrocarbon one that has cyclic structure and a closed conjugated system of double bonds.