Definition

Noun: 1. A type of hydrocarbon: An alkene is an organic chemical compound belonging to the class of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons. Its defining structural feature is the presence of at least one carbon-carbon double bond. This double bond makes alkenes more reactive than their saturated counterparts, alkanes.

Usage

Alkenes are fundamental building blocks in organic chemistry and industrial synthesis. * Ethylene is the simplest alkene and is a crucial raw material for the plastics industry. * The general formula for a non-cyclic alkene is CₙH₂ₙ. * In a laboratory, you can test for an alkene by seeing if it decolorizes bromine water.

Advanced Usage

• "Terminal alkene": An alkene where the double bond is located at the end of the carbon chain (e.g., propene, CH₃-CH=CH₂).
• "Internal alkene": An alkene where the double bond is located between carbon atoms within the chain (e.g., 2-butene, CH₃-CH=CH-CH₃).
• "Polymerization of alkenes": A major industrial process where alkene monomers (like ethylene) are linked together to form polymers (like polyethylene).

Variants and Related Words

• Olefin: A synonym for alkene, commonly used in industrial and older chemical contexts.
• Alkane: A saturated hydrocarbon containing only single carbon-carbon bonds.
• Alkyne: An unsaturated hydrocarbon containing at least one carbon-carbon triple bond.

Synonyms

• Olefin

Related Phrases

• "Alkene series": Refers to the homologous series of compounds with the general formula CₙH₂ₙ, such as ethene, propene, butene, etc.

Noun

1. any unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon