Which description matches a saturated compound?

• A. Contains the greatest possible number of hydrogen atoms and has no C=C or C≡C bonds
• B. Contains carbon-carbon double bonds
• C. Contains carbon-carbon triple bonds
• D. Contains no hydrogen atoms

Answer: (A)

Saturation in hydrocarbons means every carbon forms only single bonds and carries as many hydrogens as possible. Because carbon has four valence electrons, a saturated molecule has four sigma bonds around each carbon, with no pi bonds (no C=C or C≡C). This yields the maximum hydrogen count for a given carbon framework, described by formulas like CnH2n+2 for open-chain alkanes.

The description that matches this is the one stating there are the greatest possible number of hydrogen atoms and no carbon–carbon multiple bonds. If a molecule had C=C or C≡C bonds, it would be unsaturated, reducing the number of hydrogens. Likewise, having no hydrogens at all wouldn’t correspond to a typical hydrocarbon with a carbon backbone.