(thing) by /dev/joe Fri May 19 2000 at 18:15:50
A hydrocarbon containing a carbon-carbon double bond.

The simplest one is ethylene, with just two carbons.

Others are named systematically with the "-ene" suffix, though "-ylene" persists for some of the smaller ones: propene/propylene, butene/butylene, pentene, hexene, ...

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(thing) by Professor Pi Mon Oct 23 2000 at 15:52:13

The general formula for unsubstituted alkenes is CnH2n



H     H
 \   /
  C=C
 /   \
H     H

 Ethene C2H4


H     H
 \    |
  C=C-C-H
 /  | |
H   H H

  Propene C3H6


H     H H               H     H
 \    | |               |     |
  C=C-C-C-H           H-C-C=C-C-H
 /  | | |               | | | |
H   H H H               H H H H

 1-Butene C4H8          2-Butene C4H8

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