Ethane

ethane (ĕth`ān), CH₃CH₃, gaseous hydrocarbon. It is a continuous-chain alkane. As a constituent of natural gas, it is used for fuel. It can be prepared by cracking and fractional distillation of petroleum.

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ethane

a colourless odourless flammable gaseous alkane obtained from natural gas and petroleum: used as a fuel and in the manufacture of organic chemicals. Formula: C₂H₆

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ethane [′eth‚ān]

(organic chemistry)

CH₃CH₃A colorless, odorless gas belonging to the alkane series of hydrocarbons, with freezing point of -183.3°C and boiling point of -88.6°C; used as a fuel and refrigerant and for organic synthesis.

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Ethane 

CH₃—CH₃, a saturated hydrocarbon that takes the form of a colorless, odorless, flammable gas.

Ethane has a melting point of – 183.27°C and a boiling point of – 88.63°C. The explosive limits of ethane in air are 3 and 12 percent by volume.

Ethane is formed in the dry distillation of coal and in the refining of petroleum (seePETROLEUM REFINING GASES). It is found in natural gas (though in far smaller proportions than methane) and in petroleum by-product gases. Ethane is industrially separated from these gases and used (generally in a mixture with propane) for the production of ethylene and ethyl chloride. The chlorination, nitration, and oxidation of ethane yield compounds that are used in industrial organic synthesis.