Hydrocarbon molecules are substances made up of only hydrogen and carbon atoms. They are the building blocks of many important things we use in our daily lives, like gasoline, natural gas, and plastics. Full definition
To their surprise, they observed that in the first stages of the process, the surface covers itself up progressively in a single layer of hydrocarbon molecules with a highly ordered regular pattern. (sciencedaily.com)
Mango believes he has now found the missing ingredient: transition metals such as nickel and vanadium, which catalyse the breakdown of large hydrocarbon molecules into methane. (newscientist.com)
It is known that larger hydrocarbon molecules like ethane and propane can also form hydrates, although longer molecules (butanes, pentanes) can not fit into the water cage structure and tend to destabilise the formation of hydrates. (en.wikipedia.org)