What is a homologous series? Explain with an example.

Explanation

A homologus series is a series of carbon compounds that have different number of carbon atoms but contain the same functional group. For example, methane, ethane, propane, butane etc, are all part of the alkane homologus series. The general formula of this series in `C_(n)H_(2n+2)`
Methane : `CH_3 CH_4`
Propane : `CH_3 CH_2 CH_3`
Butane : `CH_3 CH_2 CH_2 CH_3`
It can be noticed that there is a difference of `CH_2` unit between each successive compounds.