Which type of carbon-carbon bond occurs in an alkane?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Alkanes are characterized by the presence of only single bonds between their atoms. Specifically, the carbon-carbon bonds in an alkane are single sigma (Οƒ) bonds.123

In these structures, each carbon atom is sp3 hybridized, forming a tetrahedral complex where the shared electron pair in each bond occupies the space directly between the two atoms. These single, nonpolar covalent bonds are strong and typically represent the least reactive portion of an organic molecule.23