Ethylene facts for kids

Ethylene or ethene is a special kind of chemical compound. Each of its tiny parts, called a molecule, has two carbon atoms and four hydrogen atoms. These atoms are connected by a double bond, which makes ethylene a type of hydrocarbon.

Ethylene is super important in industry because it's used to make many other things. It's even used in biology as a hormone that helps plants grow and ripen. In fact, it's one of the most produced chemicals in the world! Since 2005, about 75 million tons of ethylene have been made every year. Its main use is to create a plastic called polyethylene.

What is Ethylene?

Ethylene is a simple hydrocarbon molecule. This means it's made only of hydrogen and carbon atoms. It's also known as an alkene because it has a double bond between its two carbon atoms. This double bond makes ethylene very reactive, which is why it's so useful in making other chemicals.

Ethylene is a colorless gas. It doesn't have a strong smell. At room temperature, it stays as a gas. You would have to cool it down to about -103.7 °C (which is -154.7 °F) for it to turn into a liquid.

How Ethylene Got Its Name

For a long time, starting around 1795, ethylene was known as olefiant gas. This name meant "oil-making gas." It got this name because it could combine with chlorine to form an oily substance. This substance was called the "oil of the Dutch chemists."

Later, in 1866, a German chemist named August Wilhelm von Hofmann created a system for naming hydrocarbons. In his system, different endings (like -ane, -ene, -ine) were used to show how many hydrogen atoms a hydrocarbon had compared to a basic type called an alkane. Because of this system, olefiant gas was renamed ethene.

However, in 1979, a group called the IUPAC decided that the name ethylene could still be used. So, both names are correct!

How Ethylene is Made

Most of the ethylene used in the chemical industry is made through a process called steam cracking. This process involves heating up hydrocarbons (like natural gas or crude oil) with steam to very high temperatures. This heat breaks down the larger hydrocarbon molecules into smaller ones, including ethylene.

An ethylene plant has several important parts:

• Steam cracking furnaces: These are big ovens where the hydrocarbons are heated.
• Heat recovery systems: These systems capture the heat from the hot gases. This helps save energy because the heat can be reused.
• Steam recycling system: This system reuses the steam that was used in the cracking process.
• Cracked gas compression system: After cracking, the gases are compressed (squeezed) to make them easier to handle.
• Acid gas removal system: This system cleans the gas by taking out unwanted acidic parts.

Making ethylene uses a lot of energy. Because of this, companies work hard to make sure that heat doesn't escape from the furnaces. This helps them save energy and money.

Images for kids

• 

  This picture shows how ethylene connects with a special kind of metal.

• 

  This chart shows the main ways ethylene is used in factories. It's used to make things like ethylene oxide, ethylbenzene, different types of polyethylene, and ethylene dichloride.

See also

In Spanish: Etileno para niños