Cyclohexene

/ˌsaɪkloʊˈhɛksiːn/ noun

Definition

A colorless liquid with a six-membered carbon ring containing one double bond, used in organic synthesis and polymer production.

Etymology

From cyclo- (ring) + hex- (six) + -ene (alkene/unsaturated suffix). Named in 19th-century chemistry as the one-double-bond version of cyclohexane.

Kelly Says

Cyclohexene's single double bond makes it far more reactive than cyclohexane, which is why chemists use it as a starting material—that one vulnerable bond is like a chemical 'handle' that lets them build more complex molecules.

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