The
suffix -ene is used in
organic chemistry to form names of organic compounds where the -C=C- group has been attributed the highest priority according to the rules of
organic nomenclature. Sometimes a number between
hyphens is inserted before it to say that the
double bond is between that atom and the atom with the next number up. This suffix is taken from the end of the word
ethylene, which is the simplest
alkene. The final "-e" disappears if it is followed by a suffix that starts with a
vowel, e.g. "-enal" which is a compound that contains both a -C=C- bond and an
aldehyde functional group. If the other suffix starts with a
consonant or "y", the final "-e" remains,
e.g. "-enediyne" (which has the "-ene" suffix and also the "
-yne" suffix, for a compound with a
double bond and two
triple bonds.)