alkeenit

Alkeenit are a family of hydrocarbons known in English as alkenes. They are unsaturated compounds that contain at least one carbon–carbon double bond, which gives them distinct chemical reactivity compared with alkanes. For acyclic alkeenit, the general formula is CnH2n, with ethene (C2H4) as the simplest member; propene (C3H6) and butene (C4H8) are common examples.

The presence of the double bond enables addition reactions, such as hydrogenation to form alkanes, halogenation, hydrohalogenation, and hydration under suitable conditions. This reactivity also underpins the role of alkeenit as key building blocks in organic synthesis and industrial chemistry. Polymerization of certain alkeenit, notably ethene, produces polyolefins such as polyethylene, while propene yields polypropylene. These polymers underpin a wide range of plastics and materials.

Industrial production of alkeenit is dominated by petrochemical processes, including the cracking and processing of larger hydrocarbons from petroleum and natural gas. They occur naturally in trace amounts in fossil-fuel-derived feeds and are manufactured at large scale to meet demand for plastics and chemical intermediates.

In safety terms, alkeenit are generally flammable and can form vapor–air mixtures that pose explosion hazards. They are typically handled under standard industrial chemical safety practices, including proper ventilation, leak detection, and containment.

Overall, alkeenit occupy a central role in modern chemistry and materials science due to their reactivity as unsaturated hydrocarbons and their usefulness as monomers for durable polymers.