Alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons containing a carbon-carbon double bond. Common alkenes include ethene, propene, but-1-ene, and but-2-ene, which have general formulas of C2H4, C3H6, C4H8, and C4H8 respectively. Alkene molecules are planar and exist as gases, being insoluble in water but soluble in non-polar solvents like cyclohexane. They are used to make plastics through polymerization and ethene is used to produce ethanol.