One of the most exciting chemical reactions in chemistry is the reaction between alkynes and phosphorous derivatives. This occurs when a molecule containing either an alkaline or an acidic molecule comes into contact with a molecule containing a phosphorous. The alkaline molecule will donate an electron to the phosphorus and in turn cause the phosphorous to become an unused phosphorus, leaving a longer chain of alkanes and alkalies with an additional electron. This gives a new compound with a different structure than either the original chemical or the phosphorous.
Additional reactions between alkanes and phosphorous also include hydrolysis, acidification, and hydrogenation. Alkenanes and alkanes are useful catalysts in polymer synthesis as well as several other industrial applications. A recent development in the field has been the use of alkynes and alkalies as an energy source. Several alkalies have been found to have four times the energy output of ethanol and one hundred times that of jet fuel.
There are many other chemical reactions involving alkynes and alkenes. Many of these reactions occur in nature as part of the overall chemical process. Other reactions, however, occur in laboratories as a product of research studies. Some of the more common alkynes and alkenes used in research include: hydrogen bonding, alkylation, phosphorylation, addition reactions, phosphorescence, and electron transfer.