Alkanes The alkanes are the simplest form of organic compounds. They are made up of only Carbon atoms and Hydrogen atoms. All of the bonds are single and the number of hydrogen atoms versus carbon atoms follows this formula: CnH2n+2 Alkanes are all non-polar molecules so they aren't soluble in water. Here are some more facts. -Referred to as "Saturated" -They have -low densities -low melting points -low boiling points -Refer to "Slide 29" sheet We couldn't find any information on who discovered them. Or on the what, where, or when. However the first alkane that was discovered was probably methane. Because, of course, this is the gas that cows belch.