Alkenes: Organic Chemistry

Hydrocarbons, which contain two hydrogen atoms less than the corresponding alkanes, are called alkenes.
They have one double bond and are unsaturated carbon compounds.
Alkenes cannot be obtained directly from crude oil.
They can only be obtained by cracking of alkanes.

These are hydrocarbons with a general formula C_nH_2n where n is the number of Carbon atoms in a molecule. The C=C double bond as the functional group.
A functional group is the reacting site of a molecule /compound.
The carbon atoms are linked by at least one double bond to each other and single bonds to hydrogen atoms.

Here is a summarized list of the characteristics of alkenes:

• Since carbon is tetravalent, each atom of carbon in the alkene MUST always be bonded using four covalent bond /four shared pairs of electrons including at the double bond.
• Since Hydrogen is monovalent,each atom of hydrogen in the alkene MUST always be bonded using one covalent bond/one shared pair of electrons.
• One member of the alkene, like alkanes, differ from the next/previous by a CH₂ group.
• They also form a homologous series.
• The C=C double bond in alkene is the functional group.
• The C=C double bond in alkene can easily be broken to accommodate two more monovalent atoms. The double bond in alkenes make it thus unsaturated.
• Unsaturated hydrocarbon easily reacts to be saturated.