: a colorless odorless gaseous alkane C2H6 found in natural gas and used as a fuel
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebIn order to get a good sample, Jia must flash-freeze proteins with liquid ethane so that they are suspended in a thin layer of ice. Laura Garcia, San Antonio Express-News, 7 Sep. 2022 The company's Mariner East 1, Mariner East 2 and Mariner East 2X pipelines carry propane, ethane and butane from the Marcellus and Utica shale gas fields to a refinery processing center and export terminal in Marcus Hook, a suburb of Philadelphia. Michael Rubinkam, ajc, 5 Aug. 2022 Mueller said his company's propulsion system is based on a propellant mix of ethane and nitrous oxide, which is storable and cost-effective. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 19 July 2022 The metallic grid is dipped in a solution containing cells, then flash-frozen in liquid ethane and stored in a cryo-chamber. James Somers, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2022 However, Titan's liquids are hydrocarbons, such as methane and ethane. David Bressan, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2021 For 112 days, about 100,000 tons of methane, ethane and other chemicals poured into the air, forcing more than 8,000 families to flee their homes.Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2021 Titan’s surface is so cold — minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit — that any water there is frozen as hard as rock, although there are extensive lakes of methane and ethane.NBC News, 23 Aug. 2021 Other molecules — methane, ethane, water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide — can also be present, allowing for interesting molecules (like hydrogen cyanide) to form where multiple species existed initially. Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 25 June 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
International Scientific Vocabulary, from ethyl
First Known Use
1866, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
ethane
noun
eth·ane
ˈeth-ˌān, British ˈē-ˌthān
: a colorless odorless gaseous alkane C2H6 found in natural gas and used especially as a fuel