ketene

American  

[kee-teen] / ˈki tin /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, poisonous gas, C 2 H 2 O, irritating to the lungs, prepared from acetone or acetic acid by pyrolysis: used chiefly in the manufacture of certain commercial chemicals, as acetic anhydride and aspirin.

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ketene British  

/ ˈkiːtiːn, ˈkɛt- /

noun

1. Also called: ethonone.  a colourless irritating toxic gas used as an acetylating agent in organic synthesis. Formula: CH 2 :CO

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Etymology

Origin of ketene

First recorded in 1905–10; ket- + -ene

Example Sentences

They discovered that ketene is formed at lower temperature settings than previously believed — and that it accumulated at levels dangerous to individual health.

From Salon

Although ketene is known to be toxic, it is so dangerous that it is difficult to directly study its effect on the human body.

From Salon

The American Chemical Society describes ketene as "a colorless, toxic gas with a 'penetrating' odor," and a 2020 study from the scientific journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America" found that ketene "has been reported to cause severe, acute lung damage" when studied in animals.

From Salon

A second theory is that the heat of vaping could break down the vitamin E acetate into ketene, a dangerous molecule that might produce the kind of chemical burns found in the lungs of some patients.

From New York Times

That byproduct, called ketene, could also provide “a possible mechanism by which vitamin E acetate could cause respiratory dysfunction,” the researchers wrote.

From Washington Post