UNSATURATED

HYDROCARBONS
Unsaturated hydrocarbon :
-has one or more carbon-carbon multiple
bonds.
-has an increased reactivity due to the
presence of carbon-carbon double bonds.
The functional group is the carbon-carbon
multiple bond where most of the chemical
reactions occur.
 CLASSES OF HYDROCARBONS
1. ALKENES – contains one or more C-C double
bond
2. ALKYNES – contains one or more C-C triple
bond
3. AROMATIC HYDROCARBON – exhibit a special
type of bonding that involves a six-membered
carbon ring.
 ALKENES
Alkenes, sometimes called olefins, are
hydrocarbons that contain a carbon–carbon
double bond.
It is sp2 hybridized.
The functional group is the double bond
composed of 1 pi bond and 1 sigma bond.
Alkenes are characterized by the reactions of
their double bonds
General Formula: CnH2n
Ends in -ene
• Ethene (Ethylene)– the simplest alkene
CH2 = CH2

• A plant hormone used to ripen fruits

• It is used in the manufacture of polyethylene

• Ethylene glycol main ingredient of antifreeze used

in automobile radiators.
2. Lower alkenes are used as fuel and illuminant.
3. For the manufacture of a wide variety of
polymers, e.g., polyethene, polyvinylchloride
(PVC) and teflon etc.
4. As a raw material for the manufacture of
industrial chemicals such as alcohols,
aldehydes, etc.
5. Terpenes – responsible for the odors of cloves
and peppermint, or perfumes from roses and
lavender (volatile oils synthesized by plants)
Nomenclature of Alkenes: IUPAC and
Common Name Rules
Alkenes are named using a series of rules similar
to those for alkanes with the suffix -ene used in
place of -ane to identify the family.
STEP 1: Name the parent hydrocarbon.
Find the longest carbon chain that contains the
double bond, and name the compound using
the suffix -ene
STEP 2: Number the carbon atoms in the chain.
Begin numbering at the end nearer the double
bond, or, if the double bond is equidistant from
the two ends, begin at the end nearer the first
branch point. This rule ensures that the double-
bond carbons receive the lowest possible
numbers.
STEP 3:
Number the substituents on the main chain
according to their position, and list them
alphabetically.
Indicate the position of the double bond by
giving the number of the first alkene carbon and
placing that number directly before the -ene
suffix.
If more than one double bond is present, give
the position of each and use the appropriate
multiplier suffix -diene, -triene, tetraene, etc.
Multiple Double Bonds
 Alkenes as Substituents groups
• Alkenes named as substituents are called
alkenyl groups.
• They can be named ethenyl, propenyl, etc or
by common names.
• Common alkenyl substituents are vinyl, allyl,
methylene, and phenyl (Ph) groups.
• The sp2 carbons of an alkene are called vinylic
carbons. An sp3 carbon that is adjacent to a
vinylic carbon is called an allylic carbon.
A hydrogen bonded to a vinylic carbon is
called a vinylic hydrogen, and a hydrogen
bonded to an allylic carbon is called an allylic
hydrogen.
• Cis-Trans Nomenclature
• Also called geometric isomerism
• Cis isomer – if 2 similar groups bonded to the
carbons of the double bond are on the same
side of the bond
• Trans isomer – if the similar groups are on
opposite sides of the bond

If either carbon of the double bond holds 2 identical

groups, the molecule cannot have cis and trans
forms.
E–Z configuration, or the E–Z convention, is
the IUPAC preferred method of describing
the absolute stereochemistry of double bonds in organic
chemistry. It is an extension of cis–trans isomer notation
(which only describes relative stereochemistry) that can be
used to describe double bonds having two, three or
four substituents.
Following the Cahn–Ingold–Prelog priority rules (CIP rules),
each substituent on a double bond is assigned a priority, then
positions of the higher of the two substituents on each carbon
are compared to each other. If the two groups of higher
priority are on opposite sides of the double bond (trans to
each other), the bond is assigned the
configuration E (from entgegen, German: [ɛntˈɡeːɡən], the
German word for "opposite"). If the two groups of higher
priority are on the same side of the double bond (cis to each
other), the bond is assigned the
configuration Z (from zusammen, German: [tsuˈzamən], the
German word for "together").
 E-2-butene Z-2-butene

Another example

(E)-1-Bromo-1,2-dichloroethene (Z)-1-Bromo-1,2-dichloroethene