What does hexane mean?
Hexane is a colorless, volatile, flammable hydrocarbon with six carbon atoms and fourteen hydrogen atoms. In standard chemical nomenclature, it means the straight-chain member of the C6H14 alkane family, although commercial “hexanes” may contain several related isomers. It evaporates quickly and forms flammable vapors, making it useful as a solvent for cleaning and industrial processing but requiring careful ventilation and handling. Hexane is especially associated with extracting vegetable oils from crushed seeds and with laboratory work. Because it mixes readily with many organic materials while separating from water, it helps extract oils, fats, and other compounds. The word also carries a practical safety association: exposure to substantial concentrations can cause dizziness and more serious effects, while ignition of its vapor can produce a flash fire. For a general reader, hexane is both a simple example of hydrocarbon chemistry and an industrially important substance whose useful solvent properties also demand caution. Its name transparently signals its structure: “hexa-” means six, and the ending “-ane” identifies a saturated hydrocarbon.
nounA colorless, highly volatile, flammable straight-chain hydrocarbon with the formula C6H14, obtained chiefly from petroleum and used especially as a solvent and in industrial extraction.
- The colorless, volatile, flammable straight-chain hydrocarbon C6H14, used as an industrial solvent, especially in the extraction of vegetable oils and in laboratory processes.
"The technician dissolved the residue in hexane before transferring it to a clean flask."
"The factory used hexane to extract oil from the crushed soybean meal."
"She transferred the crystalline material into hexane, knowing that it was unlikely to dissolve."
The plural is used when referring collectively to isomeric six-carbon alkanes or to a commercial mixture; n-hexane specifies the straight-chain compound.
"The petroleum fractions contained several hexanes."
Six carbons, fourteen hydrogens, and a name that gives away the whole story: hexane is the six-carbon saturated hydrocarbon most famously used to pull oil from crushed seeds.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hexane come from?
Hexane is a 19th-century chemical term formed from the combining form hex-, derived from Greek hexa, meaning “six,” and the hydrocarbon suffix -ane. The root element appears in many English words associated with six, including hexadecimal, hexagon, hexameter, and hexagram. The suffix -ane identifies a saturated hydrocarbon whose carbon atoms are joined by single bonds.
Related word forms
How hexane is actually used
In chemical nomenclature, unqualified hexane normally denotes the straight-chain compound, also called n-hexane. In commercial and petroleum contexts, hexanes may refer collectively to isomeric six-carbon alkanes. The term is technical and commonly carries a safety association because hexane forms flammable vapors and can cause neurological effects after substantial exposure.
Easily confused with hexane
Hexane is a saturated hydrocarbon containing only single carbon–carbon bonds, whereas hexene is an unsaturated hydrocarbon containing at least one double bond.