ethylene
[eth-uh-leen]Chemistry
- containing the ethylene group.
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- Also called ethene, olefiant gas. a colorless, flammable gas, C2H4, having a sweet, unpleasant odor and taste, the first member of the ethylene series, usually obtained from petroleum and natural gas: used as an agent to improve the color of citrus fruits, in the synthesis of polyethylene, ethylene dibromide, ethylene oxide, and other organic compounds, and in medicine chiefly as an inhalation anesthetic.
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Origin of ethylene
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for ethylene
Contemporary Examples
“There are similarities between propylene glycol and ethylene glycol, the anti-freeze used in automobiles,” Dale said.
Historical Examples
Ethylene ripening of tomatoes in relation to stage of maturity.
The TomatoPaul Work
This converts the alcohol into a gas known as ethylene (C2H4).
Creative ChemistryEdwin E. Slosson
Acetylene combines with hydrogen in the presence of platinum black, and ethylene and then ethane result.
The idea held up to about 1890 was that the illuminating value depended upon the amount of ethylene present.
Dichloride of ethylene is detected by shaking up the chloroform with dry potassic carbonate, and then adding metallic potassium.
Poisons: Their Effects and DetectionAlexander Wynter Blyth
ethylene
- a colourless flammable gaseous alkene with a sweet odour, obtained from petroleum and natural gas and used in the manufacture of polythene and many other chemicals. Formula: CH 2 :CH 2Also called: ethene
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for ethylene
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
ethylene
(ĕth′ə-lēn′)- An explosive gas derived from natural gas and petroleum infrequently used as an inhalation anesthetic.ethene
- The bivalent hydrocarbon radical C2H4 that is isomeric to the ethylidene radical.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
ethylene
[ĕth′ə-lēn′]
- A colorless, flammable gas that occurs naturally in certain plants and can be obtained from petroleum and natural gas. As a plant hormone, it ripens and colors fruit, and it is manufactured for use in agriculture to speed these processes. It is also used as a fuel and in making plastics. Ethylene is the simplest alkene, consisting of two carbon atoms joined by a double bond and each attached to two hydrogen atoms. Also called ethene. Chemical formula: C2H4.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.