What Are the Uses of Ethane?
Last Updated Apr 1, 2020 6:26:25 PM ET
Ethane is used in the production of ethylene for making plastics, anti-freeze and detergents; it's a ripening agent for foods, a refrigerant, a substance in producing welding gas and a primary ingredient in mustard gas. Ethane is a component in the natural gas methane and is removed by cryogenic liquefaction.
Ethane is one of the primary alkanes, along with propane, butane and methane. Alkanes are carbon and hydrogen-based chemical compounds whose carbon atoms only have a single bond. Before the 1960s, ethane was not separated from methane for use as feedstock in petrochemical processes, though its presence was discovered in 1834 by Michael Faraday.
More From Reference
Will 5G Impact Our Cell Phone Plans (or Our Health?!)
The Secret Science of Solving Crossword Puzzles
Racist Phrases to Remove From Your Mental Lexicon
Is the Coronavirus Crisis Increasing America's Drug Overdoses?
Fact Check: What Power Does the President Really Have Over State Governors?
Festival of Sacrifice: The Past and Present of the Islamic Holiday of Eid al-Adha