Alkenes
Use this landing page to move quickly between the main alkene revision pages for Edexcel A Level Chemistry Topic 6C. These pages cover alkene bonding, geometric isomerism, electrophilic addition, key alkene reactions, polymerisation and polymer waste.
Choose an Alkenes Page
Alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons containing a carbon-carbon double bond. These pages separate the topic into bonding, isomerism, electrophilic addition, reactions and polymer chemistry so that students can revise the structure and reactivity of alkenes clearly.
Key idea: The C=C double bond contains a sigma bond and a pi bond. The electron-rich pi bond makes alkenes reactive towards electrophiles and also allows addition polymerisation.
Alkene Bonding
Revise the carbon-carbon double bond, including sigma and pi bonding, restricted rotation and the unsaturated nature of alkenes.
Geometric Isomerism
Learn how restricted rotation around the C=C bond can produce E and Z stereoisomers when each carbon has two different groups.
Electrophilic Addition Mechanism
Revise how electrophiles attack the electron-rich pi bond and how curly arrows show the formation of carbocation intermediates.
Reactions of Alkenes
Review the main addition reactions of alkenes, including reactions with hydrogen, steam, halogens and hydrogen halides.
Polymerisation Reactions
Learn how alkene monomers join together by addition polymerisation to form long-chain polymers with repeating units.
Polymer Waste
Revise the environmental problems caused by polymer waste and compare disposal, recycling and biodegradability issues.
How to Use These Pages
Start with alkene bonding so the double bond and pi bond reactivity are clear. Then revise geometric isomerism before moving into electrophilic addition mechanisms and alkene reactions. Finish with polymerisation and polymer waste to connect alkene chemistry with materials and environmental chemistry.
Exam focus: Be able to explain alkene reactivity using the pi bond, identify E and Z isomers, draw electrophilic addition mechanisms and show how addition polymers form from alkene monomers.
Master Alkenes for Edexcel A Level Chemistry
Continue from these free revision notes into the full Topic 6C Alkenes course, with guided video teaching, diagnostic MCQ practice, teacher-marked short-answer questions and a specification assignment with a personalised progress report.
Guided video teaching
Learn the chemistry and exam technique through structured video lessons with worked examples and walkthroughs.
Instant MCQ feedback
Auto-marked MCQ quizzes provide immediate diagnostic feedback for every answer choice.
Teacher-marked SAQs
Submit written exam responses and receive chemistry specialist feedback with improvement guidance.
Progress tracking
Identify strengths and weaknesses across the full Topic 6C specification with targeted reporting.
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Some ionic radii are shown.
| Ion | Ionic radius / nm |
|---|---|
| Na+ | 0.102 |
| K+ | 0.138 |
| F− | 0.133 |
| Cl− | 0.180 |
Which compound has the strongest ionic bonding?
Explain why the metallic bonding in magnesium is much stronger than that in sodium.
Copyright notice: This revision page, including its written explanations, layout and teaching sequence, is produced for Online Learning System by Dr. Mohammed Al-Fatah. It is intended for student revision and may not be copied, redistributed or republished without permission.