CBSE Class 11 » CBSE Class 11 Study Materials » Chemistry » Gain Information on Alkenes

Gain Information on Alkenes

An alkenes, commonly known as olefins, are organic molecules that have one or even more carbon-carbon double bonds in their chemical structure and are made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms.

We can say that, An alkene is a hydrocarbon with a carbon–carbon double bond in chemistry.

An alkene is frequently used interchangeably with olefin, which refers to any hydrocarbon with one or more dual bonds.

Monoalkenes are divided into two categories: terminal and internal. Terminal alkenes, also known as -olefins, seem to be more helpful.

Even so, the IUPAC proposes using the name “alkene” only for acyclic hydrocarbons with one dual bond; alkadiene, alkatriene, etc., or polyene for acyclic hydrocarbons with two or more more dual  bonds; cycloalkene, cyclooctadiene, etc., for cyclic hydrocarbons; and “olefin” for all cyclic or acyclic hydrocarbons with one or more double bond. 

What Are Alkenes and How Do They Work?

An alkenes, commonly known as olefins, are organic molecules that have one or even more carbon-carbon double bonds in their chemical structure and are made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms. alkenes are known as unsaturated hydrocarbons. These are hydrocarbons because they are made up entirely of carbon and hydrogen atoms, and they are unsaturated because their chemical structure contains one or more double bonds.

In the chemical industry, alkenes, notably ethene, are extremely significant. They are formed by the cracking of alkanes and are not present in considerable concentrations in crude oil. Alkenes, like other hydrocarbons, burn in the presence of oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. Because ethene reacts rapidly with oxygen, it is ineffective as a fuel.

General formula

The general formula for the alkanes is CnH2n, where n is the number of carbon atoms in the molecule.

Example

Decene is an alkene. Its molecules contain 10 carbon atoms. 

Formula of Decene will be C10 H20 . This is because n = 10. So, 2n = (2 × 10) = 20.

What are alkenes? 

The alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons, because they are compounds containing hydrogen and carbon only.

They are unsaturated, because they contain a C=C double bond, which means that they have two fewer hydrogen atoms than the corresponding alkane.

The C=C bond is the functional group in the alkenes. It is responsible for the typical reactions of alkenes.

Alkenes’ Basic Characteristics

  1. Physical state – Members with two or four carbon atoms are gasses from five to seventeen, liquids from eighteen onwards, and solids at room temperature, burning with a bright smoky flame in air.
  2. Alkenes have a lower density than water.
  3. Alkenes are soluble in organic solvents such as benzene and are insoluble in water.

4.Boiling point – The boiling points of alkenes gradually increase as the molecular mass or chain length increases, indicating that the intermolecular interactions get stronger as the molecule grows larger.

Alkenes and Their Applications

The usage of different alkenes such as ethene, propene, and others are listed below.

  1. Manufacturing of plastics such as polythene for buckets, bowls, and bags, among other things.
  2. Polystyrene is a kind of plastic that is used to make automobile battery housing and refrigerator components.
  3. Ethane-1,2-diol is used as an anti-freeze in automobile radiators.
  4. Production of ethanol and terylene, a synthetic fibre.
  5. Manufacturing an anti-knock system for automobile engines.
  6. Plastic and polypropene manufacturing for ropes and packaging materials.

Alkynes

We can say that an alkynes are hydrocarbons with triple bonds between carbon and carbon.

Here, 

Formula of Alkynes are :- CnH2n-2

For molecules with one triple bond & no rings. 

Alkynes perform most of the same reactions as alkenes, but because of the existence of 2 p-bonds in the triple bond, they can respond twice.

Straight-chain and branched alkynes are termed by adding the suffix -yne to the stem that denotes the number of carbon atoms. To specify which carbon number the dual bond begins on, a locator number is added right before the prefix. Thus, “1-butyne” denotes a four-carbon chain with a triple bond between carbons 1 and 2; “2-butyne” denotes a four-carbon chain with a triple bond between carbons 1 and 2.

Conclusion 

An alkene is a hydrocarbon with a carbon-carbon double bond in chemistry. An alkene, commonly known as olefins, are organic molecules that have one or even more carbon-carbon dual bonds in their chemical structure and are made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Alkenes are known as unsaturated hydrocarbons. These are hydrocarbons because they are made up entirely of carbon and hydrogen atoms, and they are unsaturated because their chemical structure contains one or more dual bonds. Alkenes, like other hydrocarbons, burn in the presence of oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. An alkene is kind of a hydrocarbon that has a carbon-carbon double bond in chemistry. Alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons because they are chemicals made up of solely hydrogen and carbon.

faq

Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the CBSE Class 11 Examination Preparation.

How many different kinds of alkenes are there?

Ans. An alkene is kind of a hydrocarbon that has a carbon–carbon double bond in chemistry. Alkene is frequently us...Read full

Alkenes are they planar?

Ans. The trigonal planar geometry is a major property of alkenes with a carbon-carbon double bond. A section of the ...Read full

Are alkenes dangerous?

Ans. Acrolein, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), and several other type-2 alkene derivatives are highly hazardous by-produc...Read full

Where can you find alkenes?

Ans. It is created by thermally splitting ethane to yield ethene and a hydroge...Read full

What causes alkene to be unsaturated?

Ans. Alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons because they are chemicals made up of solely hydrogen and carbon. They are...Read full