Linear alkylbenzenes (sometimes also known as LAB s) are a family of organic compounds with the formula C 6 H 5 C n H 2n+1. Typically, n lies between 10 and 16, although generally supplied as a tighter cut, such as C 12 -C 15, C 12 -C 13 and C 10 -C 13, for detergent use. [1] The C n H 2n+1 chain is unbranched.