Ethylene (C₂H₄) stands as one of the most important organic compounds in both nature and industry, featuring a structure where two carbon atoms share a double bond while each also bonds to two hydrogen atoms. This double bond creates a flat, rigid molecule where all atoms lie in the same plane – quite different from its saturated cousin ethane – and this structural feature gives ethylene its remarkable reactivity.
In nature, this small but mighty molecule serves as a plant hormone, triggering fruit ripening and leaf senescence through a cascade of biochemical changes. The same double bond that makes it biologically active also makes it industrially invaluable – ethylene eagerly participates in addition reactions and polymerization, making it the world’s most produced organic compound by mass. Chemical companies transform ethylene into a vast array of products including polyethylene plastics, antifreeze (ethylene glycol), and even the ripening gas used to turn green bananas yellow in storage facilities.
The gas itself has a slightly sweet odor and, like many unsaturated hydrocarbons, is highly flammable – a property that requires careful handling in industrial settings where millions of tons are produced annually through steam cracking of larger hydrocarbons.
2.5
99.5%
CP
SH EYCP-
< 0.5%
3.0
99.9%
P
SH EYP-
< 0.1%
4.0
99.99%
UP
SH EYUP-
< 100
5.0
99.999%
RES
SH EYRES-
< 10
5.5
99.9995%
EP
SH EYEP-
< 5
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