Act. no.

29 Properties and Reactions of Alkenes

OBJECTIVES:

The purpose of carrying out this laboratory is to identify Alkanes and Alkenes by their reactions with
different substances and determine their properties.

MATERIALS:

 10 test tubes
 Test tube rack
 100 ml beaker
 Test tube holder (clamp)
 Alkane
 Alkene
 Concentrated sulphutic acid solution, H2S04
 2% Bromine in tetrachloromethane
 0.50% potassium permanganate solution, KMn04
 10% sodium hydroxide solution, NaOH
 10% sodium carbonate solution, NaCO3
 Distilled water
 Blue litmus paper

PROCEDURES & RESULTS:

The Baeyer’s Test which is aqueous potassium permanganate test. This test is been done by adding 1 ml
of cyclohexane to a mixture of 3 ml of dilute potassium permanganate solution and ' ml of dilute sodium
carbonate solution in a clean test tube. The test tube is then shaken for 1 to 2 minutes. There is no
reaction in the solution as it remains purple in color except that a double layer is formed on the surface
of the solution. The double layer formed is due to the oil present in the benzene ring of the cyclohexane.
The test is then repeated by using cyclohexene instead of cyclohexane. The reaction that takes places is
oxidation which causes the purple solution to turn brown color. There is also brown precipitate formed
and the surface of the solution has double layers. The purple solution changes color to brown because
potassium permanganate is reduced to manganese dioxide, which is the brown precipitate. The double
layers exist due to the same reason as in the cyclohexane.