A molecule that contains only hydrogen and carbon atoms is called a hydrocarbon and is saturated if it has no double or triple covalent bonds. Polymerization of alkanes produces synthetic materials made up of alkanes with thousands of carbons. These materials are manufactured in large quantities and have many uses; for example, as fabrics and plastics. Alkanes are molecules that consist only of hydrogen and carbon atoms and whose bonds are all single covalent bonds. Methane and ethane are detected in the atmospheres of the Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and in the tails of comets. Liquid alkanes were formed deep inside the earth’s surface and took many millions of years to develop. These are obtained via commercial drilling. The important role of alkanes in so many areas has naturally stimulated research in generating alkanes in the laboratory. In particular, it is of interest to be able to convert methane directly to higher order alkanes.