Paraffinic is often used in the oil and gas industry to refer to a type of hydrocarbon. Some possible synonyms for this term include aliphatic, non-aromatic, and saturated. Aliphatic refers to any organic compound that contains carbon atoms joined together in a linear or branched chain formation, whereas non-aromatic refers to any molecule that lacks the characteristic ring structure of aromatic compounds. Saturated, meanwhile, refers to any molecule that contains only single bonds between carbon atoms, as opposed to double or triple bonds. Other possible synonyms for paraffinic might include n-alkane, straight-chain hydrocarbon, or alkane oil.