Which of the following is an alkene?

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an alkene?

Explanation:
An alkene is an unsaturated hydrocarbon that contains a carbon–carbon double bond (C=C). This double bond is the defining feature that gives alkenes their reactivity and the general formula CnH2n for many members. Ethene fits perfectly: it has two carbon atoms bonded by a double bond and the formula C2H4, which is exactly what an alkene looks like. The other substances aren’t alkenes because they lack a C=C bond. Ethanol is an alcohol with a structure that includes an -OH group and single bonds between carbons, giving it the formula C2H5OH. Ethane is an alkane with only single bonds and the formula C2H6. Ethanoic acid is a carboxylic acid featuring a carbonyl group (C=O) and an -OH, not a carbon–carbon double bond in the main chain. So the one that is an alkene is ethene.

An alkene is an unsaturated hydrocarbon that contains a carbon–carbon double bond (C=C). This double bond is the defining feature that gives alkenes their reactivity and the general formula CnH2n for many members. Ethene fits perfectly: it has two carbon atoms bonded by a double bond and the formula C2H4, which is exactly what an alkene looks like.

The other substances aren’t alkenes because they lack a C=C bond. Ethanol is an alcohol with a structure that includes an -OH group and single bonds between carbons, giving it the formula C2H5OH. Ethane is an alkane with only single bonds and the formula C2H6. Ethanoic acid is a carboxylic acid featuring a carbonyl group (C=O) and an -OH, not a carbon–carbon double bond in the main chain.

So the one that is an alkene is ethene.

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