Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
ETHYLENE (CH
CH
)
2
2
Properties
Colorless, highly flammable gas, boiling point
−
103.8
°
C (about
−
220°F). Reported to have a faint,
pleasant odor.
Commercial grades
Available in technical (95%) and polymer (99.9%)
grades. Transported as a gas in pipelines, as a liquid
in pressurized tank cars and steel cylinders. Difficult
to store.
Uses
As the largest volume organic chemical produced, it
is used for the preparation of plastics (polyethylene,
50%), ethylene oxide (20%), and other plastic
intermediates such as vinyl chloride and styrene.
Manufacture
Made by thermal (high-temperature) cracking in the
presence of steam of any available low-cost
hydrocarbon such as ethane and propane, naphthas
(C
). Many
other organic compounds are produced during the
cracking step, depending on the starting material
fed to the reactor (cracker).
-C
), and so-called gas oils (C
-C
5
10
10
30
CH
3
−
CH
3
CH
2
=
CH
2
+
H
2
Suppliers
BP Amoco, Chevron, DuPont, Exxon Mobil, Equistar,
Phillips, Shell, Sunoco, Union Carbide, Huntsman,
Dow, and others.
About 100 billion pounds of chemicals and polymers are made from ethylene
each year. In fact, over 40% of all organic chemicals produced are based on
ethylene. These ethylene-based materials are found in almost every conceiv-
able application encountered in daily life, for example, containers, flooring,
adhesives, pharmaceuticals, oil and gasoline additives, paints, surfactants,
etc.
