.4 Cracking and alkenes

• Hydrocarbons can be broken down (cracked) to produce smaller, more useful molecules
• Cracking can be done by various methods including catalytic cracking and steam cracking.
• The products of cracking include alkanes and another type of hydrocarbon called alkenes.
• Alkenes are more reactive than alkanes and react with bromine water, which is used as a test for alkenes.
• There is a high demand for fuels with small molecules and so some of the products of cracking are useful as fuels
• Alkenes are used to produce polymers and as starting materials for the production of many other chemicals.