Why is cyclohexene able to react with bromine water, but Benzene isn't

Cyclohexene's structure is 6 carbons bonded in a ring, with a single double bond existing between carbons 1 and 6Benzene is also a 6 carbon ring, however it has a delocalised electron ring around the structure instead of any localised double bonds.The 1,6 double bond in Cyclohexene has a very high electron density, and hence has a strong ability to polarise molecules such as Br2, whereas the delocalised ring in Benzene has a lower electron density (still more dense than cyclohexane's single bonds) which means it has much less polarising power than the double bond in cyclohexene.This means that Cyclohexene is able to induce a tempoary dipole in Br-Br molecules and this allows one Br to attract an electron pair from the double bond, leading to bromination of the cyclohexene into 1,2-bromocyclohexane.Benzene is unable to induce dipoles in Br-Br molecules so does not react in their presence without catalysts.

Answered by Chemistry tutor

16883 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

At what temperature would 0.05 moles of nitrogen gas occupy 1000cm^3 at 50kPa?


What is the significance of a reactant being zero, first, or second order when calculating the rate of a reaction?


An unknown gas from a reaction is contained in a 2 litre beaker, at standard atmospheric pressure and a Temperature of 25 Celsius. Calculate the number of moles of the gas.


Using principles of structure and bonding, explain why sulfur has a higher melting point than phosphorus


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning