alkeny

Alkeny is not a standard term in modern chemical nomenclature. In many contexts it appears as a misspelling or a non-English variant of alkene or alkenyl, rather than as a recognized distinct class of compounds. Because of this ambiguity, contemporary chemistry texts typically use the terms alkene for the parent class and alkenyl for substituent groups derived from alkenes.

If interpreted as referring to alkenes, alkeny would mean unsaturated hydrocarbons that contain at least one carbon–carbon double bond. Acyclic alkenes have the general formula CnH2n, while cycloalkenes have CnH2n−2. Alkenes exhibit geometric isomerism around the double bond and participate in a wide range of reactions, including hydrogenation, halogenation, hydrohalogenation, and hydroboration-oxidation. They can also undergo polymerization to form polyalkenes, which are important in plastics and other materials.

Common examples of alkene chemistry include ethene (ethylene), propene (propylene), and butenes, which serve as major building blocks in the petrochemical industry. Physical properties such as boiling points, densities, and reactivity vary with chain length and substitution.

For clarity and consistency, scientists and educators typically distinguish between alkene terminology (alkene for the parent hydrocarbon, alkenyl for substituents) and avoid using alkeny as a standalone term. When encountering the word in texts, it is advisable to verify whether it is a typographical variant or a regional usage, and to refer to standard terms: alkene or alkenyl.