Higher alkanes are often defined as alkanes having nine or more carbon atoms. Nonane is the lightest alkane to have a flash point above 25 °C, and so not to be classified as dangerously flammable.
The scientific literature uses the term higher alkanes arbitrarily: sometimes literally as “alkanes with a higher number of carbon atoms”, sometimes according to a definition. For instance, other than based on nonane, one definition distinguishes the higher alkanes as the n-alkanes that are solid under natural conditions.
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