Unsaturation
What Unsaturation means in Chemistry GCSE, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Unsaturation
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 Unsaturation in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
The presence of a carbon-carbon double bond, shown by bromine water being decolourised from orange-brown to colourless.
The C=C makes an alkene unsaturated, because the carbons are bonded to fewer hydrogen atoms than the maximum possible.
Topics that use Unsaturation
- Reactions of alkenes (AQA GCSE)
Related terms
- Addition reactions
- Dihaloalkane
- Fully displayed formulae
- Functional groups
- Homologous series
- Patterns in organic chemistry
- Prediction from structure
Using Unsaturation 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.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge