11.5.6

Testing Saturated & Unsaturated Hydrocarbons

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Testing Saturated & Unsaturated Hydrocarbons with Bromine

Bromine water is used to test whether a hydrocarbon is saturated or unsaturated, by observing the colour change in an experiment.

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Understanding saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons

  • Saturated hydrocarbons have only single bonds between carbon atoms.
  • Unsaturated hydrocarbons have one or more double bonds between carbon atoms.
    • They are distinguishable by their chemical properties.
  • Alkenes are an important group of unsaturated hydrocarbons with at least one double bond.
Illustrative background for Bromine water as a test for unsaturationIllustrative background for Bromine water as a test for unsaturation ?? "content

Bromine water as a test for unsaturation

  • Bromine water is a brownish-orange liquid used in organic chemistry.
  • It reacts with unsaturated hydrocarbons but not saturated ones.
Illustrative background for Procedure for testing hydrocarbons with bromine waterIllustrative background for Procedure for testing hydrocarbons with bromine water ?? "content

Procedure for testing hydrocarbons with bromine water

  • Add a few drops of bromine water to a sample of the hydrocarbon.
  • Shake or stir the mixture gently to mix the liquids.
  • Observe the colour change carefully over a few minutes.
  • Ensure this test is done safely, as bromine is toxic and corrosive.
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Observing results

  • If the mixture loses its brown-orange colour and turns colourless, the hydrocarbon is unsaturated.
  • This colour change occurs because bromine adds across the double bonds in alkenes.
    • If the mixture keeps its original colour, the hydrocarbon is saturated and does not react with bromine water.

Jump to other topics

1States of Matter

2Atoms, Elements & Compounds

3Stoichometry

4Electrochemistry

5Chemical Energetics

6Chemical Reactions

7Acids, Bases & Salts

8The Periodic Table

9Metals

10Chemistry of the Environment

11Organic Chemistry

11.1Formulae, Functional Groups & Terminology

11.2Naming Organic Compounds

11.3Fuels

11.4Alkanes

11.5Alkenes

11.6Alcohols

11.7Carboxylic Acids

11.8Polymers

12Experimental Techniques & Chemical Analysis

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