Combustion of hydrocarbons is the main source of the world's energy. In the fossil fuel industries, hydrocarbon refers to the naturally occurring petroleum, natural gas and coal, and to their hydrocarbon derivatives and purified forms. They occur in a diverse range of molecular structures and phases: they can be gases (such as methane and propane), liquids (such as hexane and benzene), low melting solids (such as paraffin wax and naphthalene) or polymers (such as polyethylene and polystyrene). Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or exemplified by the odors of gasoline and lighter fluid. : 620 Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Methane is part of a homologous series known as the alkanes, which contain single bonds only. Ball-and-stick model of the methane molecule, CH 4.
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