ethane

noun

eth·​ane ˈe-ˌthān How to pronounce ethane (audio)
British usually
ˈē- How to pronounce ethane (audio)
: a colorless odorless gaseous alkane C2H6 found in natural gas and used as a fuel

Examples of ethane in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Read More: Titan-in-a-Test-Tube: Earthbound Chemists Search for Alien Life Titan’s atmosphere also allows the surface to host rivers, lakes and oceans — all containing liquid methane and ethane. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024 The researchers also found evidence of several other organic compounds, including acetylene, propene and ethane, which also signal the moon’s potential to support life. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Dec. 2023 Workers exposed to methane, ethane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide or other hydrocarbon components from drilling and refining can experience respiratory problems, headaches, dizziness and insomnia. Sarah Martin, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 At the peak in late 2014 and early 2015, Gulf Coast margins for ethylene, a bellwether chemical in U.S. plastics manufacturing, averaged $558 a metric ton, and companies were racing to build petrochemical facilities known as crackers that take the gas byproduct ethane and turn it into ethylene. Collin Eaton and Saabira Chaudhuri, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2020 In one instance, Aguilar allegedly paid about $600,000 in bribes for a contract to supply ethane to PEMEX through PPI. Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2023 Life could flourish in half-frozen slush on Europa and Enceladus, within the subsurface saltwater ocean of Ganymede, underneath the methane and ethane rivers of Titan, and maybe in brines in the deepest craters of the dwarf planets Ceres and Pluto. Rebecca Boyle, Scientific American, 18 Apr. 2023 Acetone decomposes when exposed to the ultraviolet light in sunlight to gasses like methane and ethane. Lorraine Wilde, Treehugger, 23 Jan. 2023 Titan also has dense clouds of hydrocarbons that burst with rain, plus a liquid-rich landscape of rivers, lakes, and ocean of liquid hydrocarbons including methane and ethane below the icy crust. John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 8 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ethane.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary, from ethyl

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ethane was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near ethane

Cite this Entry

“Ethane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethane. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ethane

noun
eth·​ane ˈeth-ˌān How to pronounce ethane (audio)
: a colorless odorless gas that consists of carbon and hydrogen, is found in natural gas, and is used especially as a fuel

Medical Definition

ethane

noun
eth·​ane
ˈeth-ˌān, British ˈē-ˌthān
: a colorless odorless gaseous alkane C2H6 found in natural gas and used especially as a fuel

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