Hexanes

Hexane (/ˈhɛkseɪn/) or n-hexane is an organic compound, a straight-chain alkane with six carbon atoms and has the molecular formula C₆H₁₄.

It is a colorless liquid, odorless when pure, and with boiling points approximately 69 °C (156 °F). It is widely used as a cheap, relatively safe, largely unreactive, and easily evaporated non-polar solvent, and modern gasoline blends contain about 3% hexane.

The term hexanes refers to a mixture, composed largely (>60%) of n-hexane, with varying amounts of the isomeric compounds 2-methylpentane and 3-methylpentane, and possibly, smaller amounts of nonisomeric C₅, C₆, and C₇ (cyclo)alkanes. These “hexanes” mixtures are cheaper than pure hexane and are often used in large-scale operations not requiring a single isomer (e.g., as cleaning solvent or for chromatography)