1. Module 5

1.12. Lesson 3

Module 5 Lesson 3

Module 5—Hydrocarbons and the Petroleum Industry

Lesson 3—Alkenes and Alkynes

 

Get Focused

 

A photograph shows many ripe fruits and vegetables.

© Kiselev Andrey Valerevich/shutterstock

How careful are you about storing fruits and vegetables? Did you know that the ripening of fruits and vegetables can be influenced by other produce or even by the container in which the produce is stored? It might surprise you to know that a simple but important hydrocarbon molecule influences the ripening process.

 

Fruits and vegetables release ethylene, which acts as a hormone in fruits and vegetables and influences their ripening and aging. Ethylene is also called ethene and has the chemical formula C2H4.

 

You may notice that the name and chemical formula of ethene is different from the alkanes you studied in the previous lesson. In Lesson 1 you learned that the rules used to name hydrocarbons allowed for communicating the structure of the molecule. How might ethene be different from ethane? What aspects of these two molecules might be similar?

 

In Lesson 3 you will focus on other classes of hydrocarbons—alkenes, alkynes, cycloalkanes, and cycloalkenes.

 

Consider the following questions as you complete Lesson 3:

  • What are alkenes, alkynes, cycloalkenes, and cycloalkynes?
  • How is the structure of an unsaturated hydrocarbon communicated?
  • What is the abundance and significance of unsaturated hydrocarbons?
  • How does industry use alkenes and alkynes?
Module 5: Lesson 3 Assignment


The Lesson 3 assignment will assess your ability to name and write structural formulas for the types of hydrocarbons you studied in Lessons 2 and 3. Download a copy of the Module 5: Lesson 3 Assignment to your computer now. You will receive further instructions on how to complete this Assignment later in the lesson.

 

You must decide what to do with the questions that are not marked by the teacher.

 

Remember that these questions provide you with the practice and feedback that you need to successfully complete this course. You should respond to all the questions and place those answers in your course folder.