The ideal ingredient pairing for making an ether is an alcohol and a hydrocarbon called an alkene, but they won't react on their own if mixed together, said graduate student Sven Kaster ...

The rapid disappearance of the amber color of the bromine at room temperature is characteristic of reaction with alkenes. (colorless) (purple) (colorless ...

Bromine water is an orange solution of bromine. It becomes colourless when it is shaken with an alkene. Alkenes can decolourise bromine water, but alkanes cannot. The slideshow shows this process.