What does alkine mean?
'Alkine' is not a recognized entry in major English dictionaries, and its appearance in text is most often a spelling variant or error for 'alkyne', the well-established term in organic chemistry for an unsaturated hydrocarbon containing at least one carbon–carbon triple bond. Alkynes form a homologous series with the general formula CnH2n−2, of which acetylene (ethyne) is the simplest member, and they are valued industrially for high-energy reactions such as welding flames and organic synthesis. Because 'alkine' lacks independent standing, readers encountering it should assume the writer intended 'alkyne' unless context indicates otherwise, and careful writers should use the standard spelling to avoid confusion with the related terms 'alkane' and 'alkene'.
nounDefinition pending review.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of alkine
No independent etymology can be confidently given for 'alkine', since it is not an attested standard English word. The related term 'alkyne' derives from 'alkene' by substituting the '-yne' ending (from acetylene) to signal a triple bond, within a naming system built on German chemical nomenclature of the late nineteenth century. Any occurrence of 'alkine' is best treated as a variant or misspelling rather than a distinct lexical item.
How alkine is actually used
'Alkine' is not an established word in standard English dictionaries; writers almost certainly mean 'alkyne', the hydrocarbon class with carbon–carbon triple bonds. Verify intended meaning before use.
Easily confused with alkine
An alkyne is the established chemistry term for a hydrocarbon containing at least one carbon–carbon triple bond; 'alkine' appears to be a variant or misspelling of it.
An alkene is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond, whereas 'alkine' (if intended as alkyne) refers to compounds with a carbon–carbon triple bond.
An alkane is a saturated hydrocarbon with only single carbon–carbon bonds, unlike an alkyne's triple bond; 'alkine' is not a standard name for this class.