Ethane

This article is about the chemical compound. For the emergency service protocol, see ETHANE.
Not to be confused with Ethene, Ethyne, or Methane.
Ethane
Skeletal formula of ethane with all hydrogens and carbons shown
Skeletal formula of ethane with all implicit carbons shown, and all explicit hydrogens added
Ball and stick model of ethane
Ball and stick model of ethane
Spacefill model of ethane
Spacefill model of ethane
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
Ethane[1]
Systematic IUPAC name
Dicarbane (never recommended[2])
Other names
  • Dimethyl (CH3CH3, Me2 or (CH3)2)
  • Ethyl hydride
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
1730716
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.000.741 Edit this at Wikidata
EC Number
  • 200-814-8
212
MeSH Ethane
RTECS number
  • KH3800000
UNII
UN number 1035
  • InChI=1S/C2H6/c1-2/h1-2H3 checkY
    Key: OTMSDBZUPAUEDD-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  • CC
Properties
C2H6
Molar mass 30.070 g·mol−1
Appearance Colorless gas
Odor Odorless
Density
  • 1.3562 kg/m3 (gas at 0 °C)[3]

544.0 kg/m3 (liquid at -88,5 °C)
206 kg/m3 (at critical point 305.322 K)

Melting point −182.8 °C; −296.9 °F; 90.4 K
Boiling point −88.5 °C; −127.4 °F; 184.6 K
Critical point (T, P) 305.32 K (32.17 °C; 89.91 °F) 48.714 bars (4,871.4 kPa)
56.8 mg/L[4]
Vapor pressure 3.8453 MPa (at 21.1 °C)
19 nmol Pa−1 kg−1
Acidity (pKa) 50
Basicity (pKb) −36
Conjugate acid Ethanium
-37.37·10−6 cm3/mol
Thermochemistry
52.14± 0.39 J K−1 mol−1 at 298 Kelvin[5]
−84 kJ mol−1
−1561.0–−1560.4 kJ mol−1
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS02: Flammable
Danger
H220, H280
P210, P410+P403
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704 four-colored diamondHealth 1: Exposure would cause irritation but only minor residual injury. E.g. turpentineFlammability 4: Will rapidly or completely vaporize at normal atmospheric pressure and temperature, or is readily dispersed in air and will burn readily. Flash point below 23 °C (73 °F). E.g. propaneInstability 0: Normally stable, even under fire exposure conditions, and is not reactive with water. E.g. liquid nitrogenSpecial hazard SA: Simple asphyxiant gas. E.g. nitrogen, helium
1
4
0
SA
Flash point −135 °C (−211 °F; 138 K)
472 °C (882 °F; 745 K)
Explosive limits 2.9–13%
Safety data sheet (SDS) inchem.org
Related compounds
Related alkanes
Related compounds
Supplementary data page
Ethane (data page)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
checkY verify (what is checkY☒N ?)

Ethane (US: /ˈɛθeɪn/ ETH-ayn, UK: /ˈiː-/ EE-) is a naturally occurring organic chemical compound with chemical formula C
2H
6. At standard temperature and pressure, ethane is a colorless, odorless gas. Like many hydrocarbons, ethane is isolated on an industrial scale from natural gas and as a petrochemical by-product of petroleum refining. Its chief use is as feedstock for ethylene production. The ethyl group is formally, although rarely practically, derived from ethane.

  1. ^ International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (2014). Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry: IUPAC Recommendations and Preferred Names 2013. The Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 133. doi:10.1039/9781849733069. ISBN 978-0-85404-182-4. The saturated unbranched acyclic hydrocarbons C2H6, C3H8, and C4H10 have the retained names ethane, propane, and butane, respectively.
  2. ^ IUPAC 2014, p. 4. "Similarly, the retained names 'ethane', 'propane', and 'butane' were never replaced by systematic names 'dicarbane', 'tricarbane', and 'tetracarbane' as recommended for analogues of silane, 'disilane'; phosphane, 'triphosphane'; and sulfane, 'tetrasulfane'."
  3. ^ "Ethane – Compound Summary". PubChem Compound. US: National Center for Biotechnology Information. 16 September 2004. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  4. ^ Lide, D. R., ed. (2005). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (86th ed.). Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press. p. 8.88. ISBN 0-8493-0486-5.
  5. ^ "Ethane". webbook.nist.gov. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Retrieved 2024-05-16.