Uses of alkenes

Alkenes serve chiefly as starting materials for a wide range of other functional-group compounds: alkyl halides, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids are all commonly built up from an alkene through the addition reactions of section 15.2.4. Industrially, ethene and propene are polymerised (section 15.2.4) to polythene and polypropylene respectively, which are moulded into everyday items such as bags, toys and bottles. Ethene also has a distinct biological use: it is applied for the artificial r …