An original subtraction method was developed to distinguish between alkanes and alkenes in a complex hydrocarbon mixture. The method described is very fast, inexpensive and requires only 100-200-mu-l of sample. Its steps include bromination of the olefins and adsorption on a silica gel column followed by gas chromatography. Examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the method in practice. The results are compared with those obtained from catalytic hydrogenation.