Hello, I'm Kimi, a chemical engineer with a strong background in organic chemistry. I'm here to provide you with accurate and detailed information about chemical substances and their properties.

Octane is an alkane, which is a type of hydrocarbon molecule that consists only of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Alkanes are characterized by single covalent bonds between carbon atoms. The general formula for alkanes is CnH2n+2, where n represents the number of carbon atoms in the molecule.

Now, let's talk about the state of octane at room temperature. Octane has the chemical formula C8H18. Based on the information you provided, octane is in a liquid state at room temperature. This is consistent with the general trend for alkanes, where smaller molecules tend to be gases at room temperature, while larger molecules are liquids or solids.

The reason why octane is a liquid at room temperature is due to the strength of the intermolecular forces, specifically van der Waals forces, between the octane molecules. As the size of the alkane molecule increases, the strength of these forces also increases, leading to a higher boiling point and a lower vapor pressure at a given temperature.

In contrast, smaller alkanes like methane (CH4) and ethane (C2H6) are gases at room temperature because the van der Waals forces between their molecules are weaker. This allows them to easily overcome these forces and transition into the gas phase.

It's also worth noting that the melting and boiling points of alkanes generally increase with the number of carbon atoms in the molecule. This is because larger molecules have more electrons and a larger surface area, which leads to stronger van der Waals interactions.

To summarize, octane is a liquid at room temperature due to the strength of the intermolecular forces between its molecules, which is a characteristic of larger alkanes. This property is consistent with the general trend observed in the alkane family.

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Hydrocarbons (Alkanes)Formula (state at room temperature)NameC8H18 (liquid)octaneoct = 8C9H20 (liquid)nonanenon = 9C10H22 (liquid)decanedec = 10C18H38 (solid)octadecaneoctadec = 187 more rowsread more >>