Ethylene

Ethylene or Ethene, the simplest member of the class of aliphatic organic compounds called alkenes, which contain at least one carbon-carbon double bond. Ethylene is a colorless, slightly sweet-smelling gas of formula H₂C9CH₂. It is slightly soluble in water and is produced in commercial amounts by the cracking and fractional distillation of petroleum and from natural gas. Ethylene burns with a bright flame. Because of its double bond, ethylene is very reactive and readily forms many products, such as ethyl chloride, ethylene bromide, ethylene glycol, and polyethylene. In agriculture, it is used as a coloring and ripening agent for many fruits.

Ethylene melts at -169.4° C (-272.9° F) and boils at -103.8° C (-154.8° F).