Hexane (/ˈhɛkseɪn/) or n-hexane is an organic compound, a straight-chain alkane with six carbon atoms and the molecular formula C6H14.

It is widely used as a cheap, relatively safe, largely unreactive, and easily evaporated non-polar solvent, and modern gasoline blends contain about 3% hexane.

A typical laboratory use of hexanes is to extract oil and grease contaminants from water and soil for analysis.

[9] Since hexane cannot be easily deprotonated, it is used in the laboratory for reactions that involve very strong bases, such as the preparation of organolithiums.

In preparative chromatography, concentration of a large volume of hexanes can result in a sample that is appreciably contaminated by alkanes.

The exact composition of the fraction depends largely on the source of the oil (crude or reformed) and the constraints of the refining.

Commercial samples of n-hexane however often contains methylcyclopentane, which features tertiary C-H bonds, which are incompatible with some radical reactions.

[21] Chronic occupational exposure to elevated levels of n-hexane has been demonstrated to be associated with peripheral neuropathy in auto mechanics in the US, and neurotoxicity in workers in printing presses, and shoe and furniture factories in Asia, Europe, and North America.

[22] The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set a recommended exposure limit (REL) for hexane isomers (not n-hexane) of 100 ppm (350 mg/m3 (0.15 gr/cu ft)) over an 8-hour workday.