A basic hydrocarbon is an organic compound composed of only hydrogen and carbon atoms. The most common type of basic hydrocarbon is an alkane, which is a saturated hydrocarbon with the general formula CnH2n 2. Alkanes are the simplest of the hydrocarbons and have single bonds between the carbon atoms. They are also known as paraffins or saturated hydrocarbons because they contain the maximum number of hydrogen atoms for the number of carbon atoms present.