Alkylene Oxide Copolymer
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In
organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...
, an alkene, or olefin, is a
hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...
containing a
carbon Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...
–carbon
double bond In chemistry, a double bond is a covalent bond between two atoms involving four bonding electrons as opposed to two in a single bond. Double bonds occur most commonly between two carbon atoms, for example in alkenes. Many double bonds exist betw ...
. The double bond may be internal or at the terminal position. Terminal alkenes are also known as α-olefins. The
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...
(IUPAC) recommends using the name "alkene" only for acyclic hydrocarbons with just one double bond; alkadiene, alkatriene, etc., or
polyene In organic chemistry, polyenes are polyunsaturated organic compounds that contain multiple carbon–carbon double bonds (). Some sources consider dienes to be polyenes, whereas others require polyenes to contain at least three carbon–carbon d ...
for acyclic hydrocarbons with two or more double bonds; cycloalkene, cycloalkadiene, etc. for
cyclic Cycle, cycles, or cyclic may refer to: Anthropology and social sciences * Cyclic history, a theory of history * Cyclical theory, a theory of American political history associated with Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. * Social cycle, various cycles in s ...
ones; and "olefin" for the general class – cyclic or acyclic, with one or more double bonds. Acyclic alkenes, with only one double bond and no other
functional group In organic chemistry, a functional group is any substituent or moiety (chemistry), moiety in a molecule that causes the molecule's characteristic chemical reactions. The same functional group will undergo the same or similar chemical reactions r ...
s (also known as mono-enes) form a
homologous series In organic chemistry, a homologous series is a sequence of compounds with the same functional group and similar chemical properties in which the members of the series differ by the number of repeating units they contain. This can be the length of ...
of
hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...
s with the general formula with ''n'' being a >1 natural number (which is two
hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...
s less than the corresponding
alkane In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in whi ...
). When ''n'' is four or more,
isomer In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formula – that is, the same number of atoms of each element (chemistry), element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. ''Isomerism'' refers to the exi ...
s are possible, distinguished by the position and conformation of the double bond. Alkenes are generally colorless
non-polar In chemistry, polarity is a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole moment, with a negatively charged end and a positively charged end. Polar molecules must contain one or more polar ...
compounds, somewhat similar to alkanes but more reactive. The first few members of the series are gases or liquids at room temperature. The simplest alkene,
ethylene Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula or . It is a colourless, flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon–carbon bond, carbon–carbon doub ...
() (or "ethene" in the
IUPAC nomenclature IUPAC nomenclature is a set of recommendations for naming chemical compounds and for describing chemistry and biochemistry in general. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is the international authority on chemical nomenc ...
) is the
organic compound Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...
produced on the largest scale industrially.
Aromatic In organic chemistry, aromaticity is a chemical property describing the way in which a conjugated system, conjugated ring of unsaturated bonds, lone pairs, or empty orbitals exhibits a stabilization stronger than would be expected from conjugati ...
compounds are often drawn as cyclic alkenes, however their structure and properties are sufficiently distinct that they are not classified as alkenes or olefins. Hydrocarbons with two overlapping double bonds () are called
allenes In organic chemistry, allenes are organic compounds in which one carbon atom has double bonds with each of its two adjacent carbon atoms (, where R is H or some organyl group). Allenes are classified as cumulated dienes. The parent compound o ...
—the simplest such compound is itself called ''
allene In organic chemistry, allenes are organic compounds in which one carbon atom has double bonds with each of its two adjacent carbon atoms (, where R is hydrogen, H or some organyl group). Allenes are classified as diene#Classes, cumulated dienes ...
''—and those with three or more overlapping bonds (, , etc.) are called
cumulene A cumulene is a compound having three or more ''cumulative'' (consecutive) double bonds. They are analogous to allenes, only having a more extensive chain. The simplest molecule in this class is butatriene (), which is also called simply ''cumu ...
s.


Structural isomerism

Alkenes having four or more
carbon Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...
atoms can form diverse
structural isomer In chemistry, a structural isomer (or constitutional isomer in the IUPAC nomenclature) of a compound is a compound that contains the same number and type of atoms, but with a different connectivity (i.e. arrangement of bonds) between them. The ...
s. Most alkenes are also isomers of
cycloalkane In organic chemistry, the cycloalkanes (also called naphthenes, but distinct from naphthalene) are the ring (chemistry), monocyclic Saturated and unsaturated compounds, saturated hydrocarbons. In other words, a cycloalkane consists only of hydroge ...
s. Acyclic alkene structural isomers with only one double bond follow: * :
ethylene Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula or . It is a colourless, flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon–carbon bond, carbon–carbon doub ...
only * :
propylene Propylene, also known as propene, is an unsaturated organic compound with the chemical formula . It has one double bond, and is the second simplest member of the alkene class of hydrocarbons. It is a colorless gas with a faint petroleum-like o ...
only * : 3 isomers:
1-butene 1-Butene (IUPAC name: But-1-ene, also known as 1-butylene) is the organic compound with the formula CH3CH2CH=CH2. It is a colorless gas, but easily condensed to give a colorless liquid. It is classified as a linear alpha-olefin (terminal alkene). ...
, 2-butene, and
isobutylene Isobutylene (or 2-methylpropene) is a hydrocarbon with the chemical formula . It is a four-carbon branched alkene (olefin), one of the four isomers of butylene. It is a colorless flammable gas, and is of considerable industrial value. Product ...
* : 5 isomers: 1-pentene, 2-pentene, 2-methyl-1-butene, 3-methyl-1-butene,
2-methyl-2-butene 2-Methyl-2-butene, 2m2b, 2-methylbut-2-ene, beta-isoamylene, or trimethylethylene is an alkene hydrocarbon with the molecular formula C5H10. Used as a free radical scavenger in trichloromethane (chloroform) and dichloromethane (methylene chloride ...
* : 13 isomers: 1-hexene, 2-hexene, 3-hexene, 2-methyl-1-pentene, 3-methyl-1-pentene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 2-methyl-2-pentene, 3-methyl-2-pentene, 4-methyl-2-pentene, 2,3-dimethyl-1-butene, 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene, 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene, 2-ethyl-1-butene Many of these molecules exhibit ''cis''–''trans'' isomerism. There may also be
chiral Chirality () is a property of asymmetry important in several branches of science. The word ''chirality'' is derived from the Greek language, Greek (''kheir''), "hand", a familiar chiral object. An object or a system is ''chiral'' if it is dist ...
carbon atoms particularly within the larger molecules (from ). The number of potential isomers increases rapidly with additional carbon atoms.


Structure and bonding


Bonding

A carbon–carbon double bond consists of a
sigma bond In chemistry, sigma bonds (σ bonds) or sigma overlap are the strongest type of covalent chemical bond. They are formed by head-on overlapping between atomic orbitals along the internuclear axis. Sigma bonding is most simply defined for diat ...
and a
pi bond In chemistry, pi bonds (Ï€ bonds) are covalent chemical bonds, in each of which two lobes of an orbital on one atom overlap with two lobes of an orbital on another atom, and in which this overlap occurs laterally. Each of these atomic orbital ...
. This double bond is stronger than a single
covalent bond A covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electrons to form electron pairs between atoms. These electron pairs are known as shared pairs or bonding pairs. The stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atom ...
(611  kJ/ mol for C=C vs. 347 kJ/mol for C–C), but not twice as strong. Double bonds are shorter than single bonds with an average
bond length In molecular geometry, bond length or bond distance is defined as the average distance between Atomic nucleus, nuclei of two chemical bond, bonded atoms in a molecule. It is a Transferability (chemistry), transferable property of a bond between at ...
of 1.33 Å (133 pm) vs 1.53 Å for a typical C-C single bond. Each carbon atom of the double bond uses its three sp2 hybrid orbitals to form sigma bonds to three atoms (the other carbon atom and two hydrogen atoms). The unhybridized 2p atomic orbitals, which lie perpendicular to the plane created by the axes of the three sp2 hybrid orbitals, combine to form the pi bond. This bond lies outside the main C–C axis, with half of the bond on one side of the molecule and a half on the other. With a strength of 65 kcal/mol, the pi bond is significantly weaker than the sigma bond. Rotation about the carbon–carbon double bond is restricted because it incurs an energetic cost to break the alignment of the
p orbital In quantum mechanics, an atomic orbital () is a function describing the location and wave-like behavior of an electron in an atom. This function describes an electron's charge distribution around the atom's nucleus, and can be used to calc ...
s on the two carbon atoms. Consequently ''cis'' or ''trans'' isomers interconvert so slowly that they can be freely handled at ambient conditions without isomerization. More complex alkenes may be named with the ''E''–''Z'' notation for molecules with three or four different
substituent In organic chemistry, a substituent is one or a group of atoms that replaces (one or more) atoms, thereby becoming a moiety in the resultant (new) molecule. The suffix ''-yl'' is used when naming organic compounds that contain a single bond r ...
s (side groups). For example, of the isomers of butene, the two methyl groups of (''Z'')-but-2
-ene The suffix -ene is used in organic chemistry to form names of organic compounds where the -C=C- group has been attributed the highest priority according to the rules of organic nomenclature. Sometimes a number between hyphens is inserted before ...
(a.k.a. ''cis''-2-butene) appear on the same side of the double bond, and in (''E'')-but-2-ene (a.k.a. ''trans''-2-butene) the methyl groups appear on opposite sides. These two isomers of butene have distinct properties.


Shape

As predicted by the
VSEPR Valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory ( , ) is a model used in chemistry to predict the geometry of individual molecules from the number of electron pairs surrounding their central atoms. It is also named the Gillespie-Nyholm theor ...
model of
electron The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...
pair repulsion, the
molecular geometry Molecular geometry is the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms that constitute a molecule. It includes the general shape of the molecule as well as bond lengths, bond angles, torsional angles and any other geometrical parameters that det ...
of alkenes includes
bond angle Molecular geometry is the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms that constitute a molecule. It includes the general shape of the molecule as well as bond lengths, bond angles, torsional angles and any other geometrical parameters that deter ...
s about each carbon atom in a double bond of about 120°. The angle may vary because of
steric strain Van der Waals strain is strain resulting from Van der Waals repulsion when two substituents in a molecule approach each other with a distance less than the sum of their Van der Waals radii. Van der Waals strain is also called Van der Waals repul ...
introduced by nonbonded interactions between
functional group In organic chemistry, a functional group is any substituent or moiety (chemistry), moiety in a molecule that causes the molecule's characteristic chemical reactions. The same functional group will undergo the same or similar chemical reactions r ...
s attached to the carbon atoms of the double bond. For example, the C–C–C bond angle in
propylene Propylene, also known as propene, is an unsaturated organic compound with the chemical formula . It has one double bond, and is the second simplest member of the alkene class of hydrocarbons. It is a colorless gas with a faint petroleum-like o ...
is 123.9°. For bridged alkenes,
Bredt's rule In organic chemistry, an anti-Bredt molecule is a Bridged compound, bridged molecule with a double bond at the Bicyclic molecule, bridgehead. Bredt's rule is the empirical observation that such molecules only form in large ring systems. For exam ...
states that a double bond cannot occur at the bridgehead of a bridged ring system unless the rings are large enough. Following Fawcett and defining ''S'' as the total number of non-bridgehead atoms in the rings, bicyclic systems require ''S'' â‰¥ 7 for stability and tricyclic systems require ''S'' â‰¥ 11.


Isomerism

In
organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...
, the
prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Particularly in the study of languages, a prefix is also called a preformative, because it alters the form of the word to which it is affixed. Prefixes, like other affixes, can b ...
es cis- and trans- are used to describe the positions of functional groups attached to
carbon Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...
atoms joined by a double bond. In Latin, ''cis'' and ''trans'' mean "on this side of" and "on the other side of" respectively. Therefore, if the functional groups are both on the same side of the carbon chain, the bond is said to have cis- configuration, otherwise (i.e. the functional groups are on the opposite side of the carbon chain), the bond is said to have trans- configuration. Cis-2-Buten.svg, structure of cis-2-butene Trans-2-Buten.svg, structure of trans-2-butene Trans-2-butene.svg, (''E'')-But-2-ene Cis-2-butene.svg, (''Z'')-But-2-ene For there to be cis- and trans- configurations, there must be a carbon chain, or at least one
functional group In organic chemistry, a functional group is any substituent or moiety (chemistry), moiety in a molecule that causes the molecule's characteristic chemical reactions. The same functional group will undergo the same or similar chemical reactions r ...
attached to each carbon is the same for both. E- and Z- configuration can be used instead in a more general case where all four functional groups attached to carbon atoms in a double bond are different. E- and Z- are abbreviations of German words ''zusammen'' (together) and ''entgegen'' (opposite). In E- and Z-isomerism, each functional group is assigned a priority based on the
Cahn–Ingold–Prelog priority rules In organic chemistry, the Cahn–Ingold–Prelog (CIP) sequence rules (also the CIP priority convention; named after Robert Sidney Cahn, Christopher Kelk Ingold, and Vladimir Prelog) are a standard process to completely and unequivocally nam ...
. If the two groups with higher priority are on the same side of the double bond, the bond is assigned Z- configuration, otherwise (i.e. the two groups with higher priority are on the opposite side of the double bond), the bond is assigned E- configuration. Cis- and trans- configurations do not have a fixed relationship between E- and Z-configurations.


Physical properties

Many of the physical properties of alkenes and
alkane In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in whi ...
s are similar: they are colorless, nonpolar, and combustible. The
physical state In physics, a state of matter is one of the distinct forms in which matter can exist. Four states of matter are observable in everyday life: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Different states are distinguished by the ways the component parti ...
depends on
molecular mass The molecular mass () is the mass of a given molecule, often expressed in units of daltons (Da). Different molecules of the same compound may have different molecular masses because they contain different isotopes of an element. The derived quan ...
: like the corresponding saturated hydrocarbons, the simplest alkenes (
ethylene Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula or . It is a colourless, flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon–carbon bond, carbon–carbon doub ...
,
propylene Propylene, also known as propene, is an unsaturated organic compound with the chemical formula . It has one double bond, and is the second simplest member of the alkene class of hydrocarbons. It is a colorless gas with a faint petroleum-like o ...
, and
butene Butene, also known as butylene, is an alkene with the formula . The word ''butene'' may refer to any of the individual compounds. They are colourless gases that are present in crude oil as a minor constituent in quantities that are too small for ...
) are gases at room temperature. Linear alkenes of approximately five to sixteen carbon atoms are liquids, and higher alkenes are waxy solids. The melting point of the solids also increases with increase in molecular mass. Alkenes generally have stronger smells than their corresponding alkanes. Ethylene has a sweet and musty odor. Strained alkenes, in particular, like norbornene and ''trans''-cyclooctene are known to have strong, unpleasant odors, a fact consistent with the stronger π complexes they form with metal ions including copper.


Boiling and melting points

Below is a list of the boiling and melting points of various alkenes with the corresponding alkane and alkyne analogues.


Infrared spectroscopy

In the IR spectrum, the stretching/compression of C=C bond gives a peak at 1670–1600 wave number, cm−1. The band is weak in symmetrical alkenes. The bending of C=C bond absorbs between 1000 and 650 cm−1 wavelength


NMR spectroscopy

In 1H NMR spectroscopy, the
hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...
bonded to the carbon adjacent to double bonds will give a chemical shift, δH of 4.5–6.5 parts per million, ppm. The double bond will also Electromagnetic shielding, deshield the hydrogen attached to the carbons adjacent to sp2 carbons, and this generates δH=1.6–2. ppm peaks. Cis/trans isomers are distinguishable due to different J-coupling effect. Cis Vicinal (chemistry), vicinal hydrogens will have coupling constants in the range of 6–14 Hz, whereas the trans will have coupling constants of 11–18 Hz. In their 13C NMR spectra of alkenes, double bonds also deshield the carbons, making them have low field shift. C=C double bonds usually have chemical shift of about 100–170 ppm.


Combustion

Like most other
hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...
s, alkenes combustion, combust to give carbon dioxide and water. The combustion of alkenes release less energy than burning same molarity of saturated ones with same number of carbons. This trend can be clearly seen in the list of enthalpy of combustion, standard enthalpy of combustion of hydrocarbons.


Reactions

Alkenes are relatively stable compounds, but are more reactive than
alkane In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in whi ...
s. Most reactions of alkenes involve additions to this pi bond, forming new sigma bond, single bonds. Alkenes serve as a feedstock for the petrochemical industry because they can participate in a wide variety of reactions, prominently polymerization and alkylation. Except for ethylene, alkenes have two sites of reactivity: the carbon–carbon pi-bond and the presence of allylic CH centers. The former dominates but the allylic sites are important too.


Addition to the unsaturated bonds

Hydrogenation involves the addition of hydrogen, H2, resulting in an alkane. The equation of hydrogenation of
ethylene Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula or . It is a colourless, flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon–carbon bond, carbon–carbon doub ...
to form ethane is: :H2C=CH2 + H2→H3C−CH3 Hydrogenation reactions usually require catalysts to increase their reaction rate. The total number of hydrogens that can be added to an unsaturated hydrocarbon depends on its degree of unsaturation. Similarly, halogenation involves the addition of a halogen molecule, such as bromine, Br2, resulting in a dihaloalkane. The equation of bromination of ethylene to form ethane is: :H2C=CH2 + Br2→H2CBr−CH2Br Unlike hydrogenation, these halogenation reactions do not require catalysts. The reaction occurs in two steps, with a halonium ion as an intermediate. Bromine test is used to test the saturation of hydrocarbons. The bromine test can also be used as an indication of the degree of unsaturation for unsaturated hydrocarbons. Bromine number is defined as gram of bromine able to react with 100g of product. Similar as hydrogenation, the halogenation of bromine is also depend on the number of π bond. A higher bromine number indicates higher degree of unsaturation. The π bonds of alkenes hydrocarbons are also susceptible to hydration reaction, hydration. The reaction usually involves strong acid as catalyst. The first step in hydration often involves formation of a carbocation. The net result of the reaction will be an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol. The reaction equation for hydration of ethylene is: :H2C=CH2 + H2O→ Hydrohalogenation involves addition of H−X to unsaturated hydrocarbons. This reaction results in new C−H and C−X σ bonds. The formation of the intermediate carbocation is selective and follows Markovnikov's rule. The hydrohalogenation of alkene will result in haloalkane. The reaction equation of HBr addition to ethylene is: :H2C=CH2 + HBr →


Cycloaddition

Alkenes add to dienes to give cyclohexenes. This conversion is an example of a Diels-Alder reaction. Such reaction proceed with retention of stereochemistry. The rates are sensitive to electron-withdrawing or electron-donating substituents. When irradiated by UV-light, alkenes dimerize to give cyclobutanes. Another example is the Ene reaction#Singlet-oxygen ene reaction, Schenck ene reaction, in which singlet oxygen reacts with an allylic structure to give a transposed allyl peroxide:


Oxidation

Alkenes react with Peroxy acid, percarboxylic acids and even hydrogen peroxide to yield epoxides: : For ethylene, the epoxidation is conducted on a very large scale industrially using oxygen in the presence of silver-based catalysts: : Alkenes react with ozone, leading to the scission of the double bond. The process is called ozonolysis. Often the reaction procedure includes a mild reductant, such as dimethylsulfide (): : : When treated with a hot concentrated, acidified solution of , alkenes are cleaved to form ketones and/or carboxylic acids. The stoichiometry of the reaction is sensitive to conditions. This reaction and the ozonolysis can be used to determine the position of a double bond in an unknown alkene. The oxidation can be stopped at the vicinal (chemistry), vicinal diol rather than full cleavage of the alkene by using osmium tetroxide or other oxidants: :R'CH=CR2 + 1/2 O2 + H2O -> R'CH(OH)-C(OH)R2 This reaction is called dihydroxylation. In the presence of an appropriate photosensitiser, such as methylene blue and light, alkenes can undergo reaction with reactive oxygen species generated by the photosensitiser, such as hydroxyl radicals, singlet oxygen or superoxide ion. Reactions of the excited sensitizer can involve electron or hydrogen transfer, usually with a reducing substrate (Type I reaction) or interaction with oxygen (Type II reaction). These various alternative processes and reactions can be controlled by choice of specific reaction conditions, leading to a wide range of products. A common example is the [4+2]-cycloaddition of singlet oxygen with a diene such as cyclopentadiene to yield an endoperoxide:


Polymerization

Terminal alkenes are precursors to polymers via processes termed polymerization. Some polymerizations are of great economic significance, as they generate the plastics polyethylene and polypropylene. Polymers from alkene are usually referred to as ''polyolefins'' although they contain no olefins. Polymerization can proceed via diverse mechanisms. Conjugated system, Conjugated dienes such as buta-1,3-diene and isoprene (2-methylbuta-1,3-diene) also produce polymers, one example being natural rubber.


Allylic substitution

The presence of a C=C π bond in unsaturated hydrocarbons weakens the dissociation energy of the allylic C−H bonds. Thus, these groupings are susceptible to free radical substitution at these C-H sites as well as addition reactions at the C=C site. In the presence of radical initiators, allylic C-H bonds can be halogenated. The presence of two C=C bonds flanking one methylene, i.e., doubly allylic, results in particularly weak HC-H bonds. The high reactivity of these situations is the basis for certain free radical reactions, manifested in the chemistry of drying oils.


Metathesis

Alkenes undergo olefin metathesis, which cleaves and interchanges the substituents of the alkene. A related reaction is ethenolysis: :\overset + \longrightarrow \overset + \ce


Metal complexation

: In transition metal alkene complexes, alkenes serve as ligands for metals. In this case, the π electron density is donated to the metal d orbitals. The stronger the donation is, the stronger the back bonding from the metal d orbital to π* anti-bonding orbital of the alkene. This effect lowers the bond order of the alkene and increases the C-C
bond length In molecular geometry, bond length or bond distance is defined as the average distance between Atomic nucleus, nuclei of two chemical bond, bonded atoms in a molecule. It is a Transferability (chemistry), transferable property of a bond between at ...
. One example is the complex . These complexes are related to the mechanisms of metal-catalyzed reactions of unsaturated hydrocarbons.


Reaction overview


Synthesis


Industrial methods

Alkenes are produced by hydrocarbon cracking (chemistry), cracking. Raw materials are mostly natural-gas condensate components (principally ethane and propane) in the US and Mideast and naphtha in Europe and Asia. Alkanes are broken apart at high temperatures, often in the presence of a zeolite catalyst, to produce a mixture of primarily aliphatic alkenes and lower molecular weight alkanes. The mixture is feedstock and temperature dependent, and separated by fractional distillation. This is mainly used for the manufacture of small alkenes (up to six carbons). Related to this is catalytic dehydrogenation, where an alkane loses hydrogen at high temperatures to produce a corresponding alkene. This is the reverse of the catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes. This process is also known as Catalytic reforming, reforming. Both processes are endothermic and are driven towards the alkene at high temperatures by entropy. Catalytic synthesis of higher α-alkenes (of the type RCH=CH2) can also be achieved by a reaction of ethylene with the organometallic compound triethylaluminium in the presence of nickel, cobalt, or platinum.


Elimination reactions

One of the principal methods for alkene synthesis in the laboratory is the elimination reaction of alkyl halides, alcohols, and similar compounds. Most common is the β-elimination via the E2 or E1 mechanism. A commercially significant example is the production of vinyl chloride. The E2 mechanism provides a more reliable β-elimination method than E1 for most alkene syntheses. Most E2 eliminations start with an alkyl halide or alkyl sulfonate ester (such as a tosylate or triflate). When an alkyl halide is used, the reaction is called a dehydrohalogenation. For unsymmetrical products, the more substituted alkenes (those with fewer hydrogens attached to the C=C) tend to predominate (see Zaitsev's rule). Two common methods of elimination reactions are dehydrohalogenation of alkyl halides and dehydration of alcohols. A typical example is shown below; note that if possible, the H is ''anti'' to the leaving group, even though this leads to the less stable ''Z''-isomer. Alkenes can be synthesized from alcohols via Dehydration reaction, dehydration, in which case water is lost via the E1 mechanism. For example, the dehydration of ethanol produces ethylene: :CH3CH2OH → H2C=CH2 + H2O An alcohol may also be converted to a better leaving group (e.g., xanthate), so as to allow a milder ''syn''-elimination such as the Chugaev elimination and the Grieco elimination. Related reactions include eliminations by β-haloethers (the Boord olefin synthesis) and esters (ester pyrolysis). A thioketone and a phosphite ester combined (the Corey-Winter olefination) or diphosphorus tetraiodide will deoxygenate glycols to alkenes. Alkenes can be prepared indirectly from alkyl amines. The amine or ammonia is not a suitable leaving group, so the amine is first either alkylation, alkylated (as in the Hofmann elimination) or oxidized to an amine oxide (the Cope reaction) to render a smooth elimination possible. The Cope reaction is a ''syn''-elimination that occurs at or below 150 Â°C, for example: The Hofmann elimination is unusual in that the ''less'' substituted (non-Zaitsev's rule, Zaitsev) alkene is usually the major product. Alkenes are generated from α-halosulfones in the Ramberg–Bäcklund reaction, via a three-membered ring sulfone intermediate.


Synthesis from carbonyl compounds

Another important class of methods for alkene synthesis involves construction of a new carbon–carbon double bond by coupling or condensation of a carbonyl compound (such as an aldehyde or ketone) to a carbanion or its equivalent. Pre-eminent is the aldol condensation. Knoevenagel condensations are a related class of reactions that convert carbonyls into alkenes.Well-known methods are called ''olefinations''. The Wittig reaction is illustrative, but other related methods are known, including the Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction. The Wittig reaction involves reaction of an aldehyde or ketone with a Wittig reagent (or phosphorane) of the type Ph3P=CHR to produce an alkene and Triphenylphosphine oxide, Ph3P=O. The Wittig reagent is itself prepared easily from triphenylphosphine and an alkyl halide. Related to the Wittig reaction is the Peterson olefination, which uses silicon-based reagents in place of the phosphorane. This reaction allows for the selection of ''E''- or ''Z''-products. If an ''E''-product is desired, another alternative is the Julia olefination, which uses the carbanion generated from a phenyl sulfone. The Takai olefination based on an organochromium intermediate also delivers E-products. A titanium compound, Tebbe's reagent, is useful for the synthesis of methylene compounds; in this case, even esters and amides react. A pair of ketones or aldehydes can be deoxygenation, deoxygenated to generate an alkene. Symmetrical alkenes can be prepared from a single aldehyde or ketone coupling with itself, using titanium metal reduction (the McMurry reaction). If different ketones are to be coupled, a more complicated method is required, such as the Barton–Kellogg reaction. A single ketone can also be converted to the corresponding alkene via its tosylhydrazone, using sodium methoxide (the Bamford–Stevens reaction) or an alkyllithium (the Shapiro reaction).


Synthesis from alkenes

The formation of longer alkenes via the step-wise polymerisation of smaller ones is appealing, as
ethylene Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula or . It is a colourless, flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon–carbon bond, carbon–carbon doub ...
(the smallest alkene) is both inexpensive and readily available, with hundreds of millions of tonnes produced annually. The Ziegler–Natta process allows for the formation of very long chains, for instance those used for polyethylene. Where shorter chains are wanted, as they for the production of surfactants, then processes incorporating a olefin metathesis step, such as the Shell higher olefin process are important. Olefin metathesis is also used commercially for the interconversion of ethylene and 2-butene to propylene. Rhenium- and molybdenum-containing heterogeneous catalysis are used in this process: :CH2=CH2 + CH3CH=CHCH3 → 2 CH2=CHCH3 Transition metal catalyzed hydrovinylation is another important alkene synthesis process starting from alkene itself. It involves the addition of a hydrogen and a vinyl group (or an alkenyl group) across a double bond.


From alkynes

Reduction of alkynes is a useful method for the stereoselectivity, stereoselective synthesis of disubstituted alkenes. If the ''cis''-alkene is desired, hydrogenation in the presence of Lindlar's catalyst (a heterogeneous catalyst that consists of palladium deposited on calcium carbonate and treated with various forms of lead) is commonly used, though hydroboration followed by hydrolysis provides an alternative approach. Reduction of the alkyne by sodium metal in liquid ammonia gives the ''trans''-alkene. For the preparation multisubstituted alkenes, carbometalation of alkynes can give rise to a large variety of alkene derivatives.


Rearrangements and related reactions

Alkenes can be synthesized from other alkenes via rearrangement reactions. Besides olefin metathesis (described #Synthesis from alkenes, above), many pericyclic reactions can be used such as the ene reaction and the Cope rearrangement. In the Diels–Alder reaction, a cyclohexene derivative is prepared from a diene and a reactive or electron-deficient alkene.


Application

Unsaturated hydrocarbons are widely used to produce plastics, medicines, and other useful materials.


Natural occurrence

Alkenes are prevalent in nature. Plants are the main natural source of alkenes in the form of terpenes. Many of the most vivid natural pigments are terpenes; e.g. lycopene (red in tomatoes), carotene (orange in carrots), and xanthophylls (yellow in egg yolk). The simplest of all alkenes, ethylene (plant hormone), ethylene is a signaling molecule that influences the ripening of plants. The Curiosity (rover), Curiosity rover discovered on Mars long chain alkanes with up to 12 consecutive carbon atoms. They could be derived from either abiotic or biological sources. File:Limonene-2D-skeletal.svg, Limonene, a monoterpene. File:Alpha-Caryophyllen.svg, Humulene, a sesquiterpene. File:Taxadiene.svg, Taxadiene, a diterpene, precursor to the diterpenoid taxol, an anticancer agent. File:Squalene.svg, Squalene, a triterpene and universal precursor to natural steroids.


IUPAC Nomenclature

Although the nomenclature is not followed widely, according to IUPAC, an alkene is an acyclic hydrocarbon with just one double bond between carbon atoms. Olefins comprise a larger collection of cyclic and acyclic alkenes as well as dienes and polyenes. To form the root of the IUPAC nomenclature, IUPAC names for straight-chain alkenes, change the ''-an-'' infix of the parent to ''-en-''. For example, CH3-CH3 is the
alkane In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in whi ...
''ethANe''. The name of CH2=CH2 is therefore ''ethENe''. For straight-chain alkenes with 4 or more carbon atoms, that name does not completely identify the compound. For those cases, and for branched acyclic alkenes, the following rules apply: # Find the longest carbon chain in the molecule. If that chain does not contain the double bond, name the compound according to the alkane naming rules. Otherwise: # Number the carbons in that chain starting from the end that is closest to the double bond. # Define the location ''k'' of the double bond as being the number of its first carbon. # Name the side groups (other than hydrogen) according to the appropriate rules. # Define the position of each side group as the number of the chain carbon it is attached to. # Write the position and name of each side group. # Write the names of the alkane with the same chain, replacing the "-ane" suffix by "''k''-ene". The position of the double bond is often inserted before the name of the chain (e.g. "2-pentene"), rather than before the suffix ("pent-2-ene"). The positions need not be indicated if they are unique. Note that the double bond may imply a different chain numbering than that used for the corresponding alkane: C–– is "2,2-dimethyl pentane", whereas C–= is "3,3-dimethyl 1-pentene". More complex rules apply for polyenes and cycloalkenes.


''Cis''–''trans'' isomerism

If the double bond of an acyclic mono-ene is not the first bond of the chain, the name as constructed above still does not completely identify the compound, because of ''cis''–''trans'' isomerism. Then one must specify whether the two single C–C bonds adjacent to the double bond are on the same side of its plane, or on opposite sides. For monoalkenes, the configuration is often indicated by the prefixes ''cis''- (from Latin "on this side of") or ''trans''- ("across", "on the other side of") before the name, respectively; as in ''cis''-2-pentene or ''trans''-2-butene. More generally, ''cis''–''trans'' isomerism will exist if each of the two carbons of in the double bond has two different atoms or groups attached to it. Accounting for these cases, the IUPAC recommends the more general E–Z notation, instead of the ''cis'' and ''trans'' prefixes. This notation considers the group with highest Cahn-Ingold-Prelog priority rule, CIP priority in each of the two carbons. If these two groups are on opposite sides of the double bond's plane, the configuration is labeled ''E'' (from the German language, German ''entgegen'' meaning "opposite"); if they are on the same side, it is labeled ''Z'' (from German ''zusammen'', "together"). This labeling may be taught with mnemonic "''Z'' means 'on ze zame zide'".


Groups containing C=C double bonds

IUPAC recognizes two names for hydrocarbon groups containing carbon–carbon double bonds, the vinyl group and the allyl group.


See also

* Alpha-olefin * Annulene * Aromatic hydrocarbon ("Arene") * Dendralene * Nitroalkene * Radialene


Nomenclature links


Rule A-3. Unsaturated Compounds and Univalent Radicals
IUPAC Color Books#Blue Book, IUPAC Blue Book.
Rule A-4. Bivalent and Multivalent Radicals
IUPAC Blue Book.

IUPAC Blue Book. *[http://www.acdlabs.com/iupac/nomenclature/79/r79_73.htm Rule A-23. Hydrogenated Compounds of Fused Polycyclic Hydrocarbons] IUPAC Blue Book.


References

{{Authority control Alkenes, Hydrocarbons