ethylene
/ˈɛθɪˌliːn/ noun
Forms ethylenes
- noun (organic chemistry) The common name for the organic chemical compound ethene. The simplest alkene, a colorless gaseous (at room temperature and pressure) hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C₂H₄.
- noun (organic chemistry) The divalent radical derived from ethane.
Synonyms
Webster’s 1913
- noun A colorless, gaseous hydrocarbon, C2H4, forming an important ingredient of illuminating gas, and also obtained by the action of concentrated sulphuric acid in alcohol. It is an unsaturated compound and combines directly with chlorine and bromine to form oily liquids (Dutch liquid), --hence called olefiant gas. Called also ethene, elayl, and formerly, bicarbureted hydrogen. Ethylene series (Chem.), the series if unsaturated hydrocarbons of which ethylene is the type, and represented by the general formula CnH2n.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ethylene”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details