Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons that belong to a homologous series with the general formula CnH2n+2C_nH_{2n+2}CnH2n+2.
A component isolated from a heavy distillate fraction of crude oil is identified as a straight-chain alkane containing a total of 74 atoms in each of its molecules.
Determine the number of carbon atoms present in a single molecule of this alkane, and write down its complete molecular formula.
12 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Chemistry 7.1 Carbon compounds as fuels and feedstock, covering 7.1.1 Crude oil, hydrocarbons and alkanes, 7.1.2 Fractional distillation and petrochemicals, 7.1.3 Properties of hydrocarbons, and 7.1.4 Cracking and alkenes. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.