Yougive reaction to distinguish between ethene and ethyne

Sure, here is a simple chemical test to distinguish between ethene (C2H4) and ethyne (C2H2):

1. Bromine water test: Ethene and ethyne can be distinguished by their reaction with bromine water.

   • Ethene: When bromine water is added to ethene, it turns from brown to colorless. This is because ethene is an unsaturated hydrocarbon and it undergoes an addition reaction with bromine water.

   • Ethyne: On the other hand, when bromine water is added to ethyne, the brown color of bromine water remains unchanged. This is because ethyne does not react with bromine water under normal conditions.

2. Ammoniacal silver nitrate test (Tollens' test): This test is used to distinguish between terminal alkynes and other types of hydrocarbons.

   • Ethene: Ethene does not react with ammoniacal silver nitrate (Tollens' reagent).

   • Ethyne: Ethyne, being a terminal alkyne, reacts with ammoniacal silver nitrate to form a precipitate of silver acetylide. This reaction results in the formation of a silver mirror on the test tube, which is a positive result for the Tollens' test.

These are the two simple tests that can be used to distinguish between ethene and ethyne.