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Ethylene CAS 74-85-1

Ethylene is a compound composed of two carbon atoms connected by a double bond and four hydrogen atoms. Ethylene exists in certain tissues and organs of plants and is converted from methionine under sufficient oxygen supply conditions....

Release time：2025-04-26

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Ethylene CAS 74-85-1

Ethylene is a compound composed of two carbon atoms connected by a double bond and four hydrogen atoms. Ethylene exists in certain tissues and organs of plants and is converted from methionine under sufficient oxygen supply conditions.

Ethylene is a basic chemical raw material for synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, synthetic plastics (polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride), and synthetic ethanol (alcohol). It is also used to make vinyl chloride, styrene, ethylene oxide, acetic acid, acetaldehyde, ethanol and explosives. It can also be used as a ripening agent for fruits and vegetables. It is a proven plant hormone.

Ethylene is one of the world's largest chemical products. The ethylene industry is the core of the petrochemical industry. Ethylene products account for more than 75% of petrochemical products and occupy an important position in the national economy. The world has used ethylene production as one of the important indicators to measure the level of development of a country's petrochemical industry.

Physiological effects are: triple reaction, promoting fruit ripening, promoting leaf senescence, inducing adventitious roots and root hairs, breaking the dormancy of plant seeds and buds, inhibiting flowering of many plants (but inducing and promoting flowering of pineapples and plants of the same genus), and changing the direction of sexual differentiation of flowers in the early stages of flower development in plants with male and female flowers.

Normally, ethylene is a colorless, slightly odorous gas with a density of 1.256g/L, which is slightly less than the density of air. It is insoluble in water and easily soluble in organic solvents such as carbon tetrachloride.

Appearance and properties: colorless gas with a slight odor unique to hydrocarbons. A small amount of ethylene has a faint sweet taste.

Absorption peak: absorption band in the far ultraviolet region

pH: aqueous solution is neutral

Freezing point: -169.4℃

Relative density: 0.00127

Refractive index: 1.363

Relative density (water = 1): 0.61

Relative vapor density (air = 1): 0.99

Saturated vapor pressure (kPa): 4083.40 (0℃)

Heat of combustion (kJ/mol): 1411.0

Critical temperature (℃): 9.2

Critical pressure (MPa): 5.04

Flash point (fp): meaningless

Ignition temperature (℃): 425

Upper explosion limit % (V/V): 36.95

Lower explosion limit % (V/V): 2.74

Solubility: insoluble in water, slightly soluble in ethanol, ketone, benzene, soluble in ether. Soluble in organic solvents such as carbon tetrachloride.

Ethylene is a gas hormone. Mature tissues release less ethylene, while meristems, germinating seeds, withering flowers and fruits in the process of maturing produce more ethylene. It exists in mature fruits, stem nodes and senescent leaves. The production of ethylene has a "self-promoting effect" (that is, the accumulation of ethylene can stimulate more ethylene production).

In the adverse conditions of drought, air pollution, mechanical stimulation, chemical stress, disease, etc., the ethylene in the body of plants increases several times or dozens of times. This ethylene produced by the plant body under adverse conditions is called stress ethylene or stress ethylene (lstress ethylene).

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