| The alkenes |
| The alkenes are
another family of aliphatic hydrocarbons, but
unlike the alkanes, they are unsaturated
– they do not contain the maximum
amount of hydrogen possible. The monoalkenes
contain one double bond between two of the carbon
atoms, and the family has the general formula
CnH2n. Like the alkanes,
the unbranched alkenes form a family with regular
trends in reactivity. The compounds are physically
very similar to the equivalent alkanes, although
melting and boiling points are a little lower. |
 |
| Polly's
bright feathers are due to unsaturated organic
compounds |
|
The alkenes, and ethene in particular, are of
immense importance to the chemical industry.
They occur naturally only in very small quantities,
but are derived from crude oil by the process
of cracking. |
| Previous |
Next |
|
