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What molecular formula pattern do unbranched alkanes follow?

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

Unbranched alkanes, like all alkanes, follow the general molecular formula pattern:

$C_{n} H_{2 n + 2}$

In this expression, $n$ represents the number of carbon atoms in the molecule, which must be an integer. As members of a homologous series, these compounds differ from one another by the successive addition of a methylene ( $C H_{2}$ ) group.123