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What are the main groups of aliphatic hydrocarbons?

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structures of common hydrocarbon compounds — hydrocarbon Structures assumed by hydrogen (H) and carbon (C) molecules in four common hydrocarbon compounds.

Aliphatic hydrocarbons are classified into three main groups based on the types of chemical bonds present within their molecular structure:1

Alkanes: These are saturated hydrocarbons that contain only single bonds between carbon atoms.1
Alkenes: These are unsaturated hydrocarbons that contain at least one carbon-carbon double bond.1
Alkynes: These are unsaturated hydrocarbons that contain at least one carbon-carbon triple bond.1

While these categories help associate structural features with chemical properties, it is common for a single molecule to incorporate structural units from more than one of these families.1