olefine

8.6

A chemical made only of hydrogen and carbon that has a double bond between carbon atoms

noun
/ˈoʊləˌfin/

: olefina

In organic chemistry, an olefine is a hydrocarbon that contains at least one double bond.

Examples

Industrial production of plastics often starts with basic olefines like propylene and ethylene.
Ethylene is the simplest example of an olefine.
An olefine is used in the production of plastics.
Many olefines are derived from petroleum.
Ethylene is the simplest example of an olefine.
In organic chemistry, an olefine is a hydrocarbon that contains at least one double bond.
Industrial production of plastics often starts with basic olefines like propylene and ethylene.

Synonyms

olefin

vsolefine

Specialized

1 9.9

A simple chemical made of carbon and hydrogen with a double bond, like ethylene

has identical meaning but is an alternate spelling form

alkene

vsolefine

Specialized

7.2

A molecule made of hydrogen and carbon with a double bond between two carbon atoms

is a more general or alternate name rather than the systematic term

Surface Forms

olefine singular

olefines plural

Etymology

Olefine comes from an old name olefiant, which means 'oil-forming' — ole- is from a word for 'oil' and -fiant means 'making'. Early chemists called these gases 'oil-forming' because they made oily liquids, and that's why olefine now means the simple hydrocarbons used to make plastics.