Alkenes and the Bromine Water Test — Interactive Lesson (Ages 14–16)

One orange solution tells an alkane from an alkene in seconds — this lesson shows pupils how. This 21-slide interactive lesson on alkenes takes pupils from first ideas to exam-style explanations, with 12 self-marking activities and nothing to prepare beforehand.

Teaching Alkenes and the Bromine Water Test in GCSE Chemistry

Pupils use the general formula CₙH₂ₙ, explain why alkenes are unsaturated and carry out the bromine water test in context: orange to colourless for alkenes, no change for alkanes. They meet addition reactions with hydrogen, steam and bromine, explain why alkenes burn with a smoky flame, and finish with a hydrogenation reveal linking alkenes to the spreads on their breakfast table.

What Pupils Will Learn

• Use the general formula CₙH₂ₙ to write alkene formulae.
• Explain why alkenes are unsaturated.
• Use bromine water to tell an alkene from an alkane.
• Describe addition reactions with hydrogen, water and halogens.
• Explain why alkenes burn with a smoky flame.

What’s Included

• 21-slide interactive lesson
• 12 self-marking activities: multiple-choice questions, true-or-false checks, sorting tasks, drag-and-drop categorising and fill-in-the-gap questions
• Step-by-step teaching cards that reveal one point at a time
• A written explanation task with a model answer for self-assessment

Why Teachers Love It

• No prep — open it on an interactive whiteboard, laptop or tablet
• Instant feedback explains every answer, right or wrong
• Examples from both Nigeria and the UK make the chemistry feel real
• Works for whole-class teaching, independent study or revision

Curriculum Alignment

Supports the organic chemistry content of UK GCSE Chemistry (AQA, Edexcel and OCR) and the Nigerian Senior Secondary Chemistry curriculum (SS2–SS3), including WAEC and NECO exam preparation.

Love this? You’ll love…

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FAQ

What year groups is this for? Years 10–11 (ages 14–16), and SS2–SS3 in Nigeria.

Is it self-marking? Yes — all 12 activities give instant feedback.

Do pupils need to log in? No. The lesson runs in any modern web browser.

Can I use it for revision? Yes. Pupils can replay it as often as they like, and the results screen shows which questions to review before a test.