What is "hexene"

Hexylene \Hex"yl*ene\, n. [Hex- + -yl + ethlene.] (Chem.) A colorless, liquid hydrocarbon, C6H12, of the ethylene series, produced artificially, and found as a natural product of distillation of certain coals; also, any one several isomers of hexylene proper. Called also hexene.

n. (context organic compound English) Any of several isomers of the alkene having six carbon atoms and one double bond

Hexene is an alkene with a molecular formula CH. The prefix "hex" is derived from the fact that there are 6 carbon atoms in the molecule, while the " -ene" suffix denotes that there is an alkene present—two carbon atoms are connected via a double bond. There are several isomers of hexene, depending on the position and geometry of the double bond in the chain. One of the most common industrially useful isomers is 1-hexene, an alpha-olefin. Hexene is used as a comonomer in the production of polyethylene.