Skip to content
    Chemistry GCSE

    Alkenes

    What Alkenes means in Chemistry GCSE, as defined for AQA.

    Definitions of Alkenes

    Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.

    Check what you remember

    Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Alkenes in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.

    Reference: AQA

    Hydrocarbons that contain at least one carbon–carbon double bond and are unsaturated, and are reactive starting materials for making polymers.
    AQA · Cracking and alkenes (study guide)
    Smaller, more useful molecules produced by cracking, which are then used to make polymers and other chemicals.
    AQA · Fractional distillation and petrochemicals (study guide)
    Hydrocarbons that contain a carbon-to-carbon double bond and are more reactive than alkanes.
    AQA · Cracking and alkenes (study guide)

    Topics that use Alkenes

    Related terms

    Using Alkenes in the exam

    Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.

    Practise Chemistry questions

    Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.

    Start free

    A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge

    All Chemistry GCSE terms