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: a colorless odorless gaseous alkane C2H6 found in natural gas and used as a fuel
Examples of ethane in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead, Titan’s rivers and seas are filled with a mix of light hydrocarbons, mostly methane and ethane—and a new study suggests that those liquid bodies may play host to waves that have shaped their coastlines via erosion.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 20 June 2024
Furthermore, the action of the sun's radiation on these ices spurs chemical reactions that produce organic byproducts such as acetylene, ethane, propane, as well as various carbon oxides, all of which were found as ices on Chiron's surface by the JWST.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Saturn’s moon Titan has lakes of liquid methane and ethane that are made of organic molecules, as are its hydrocarbon sand dunes.
—Elise Cutts, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2024
Under the bombardment of sunlight, methane ice transforms to reactive gaseous particles that eventually fuse into larger aerosol molecules such as acetylene, ethylene and ethane.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
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Word History
Etymology
International Scientific Vocabulary, from ethyl
First Known Use
1866, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near ethane
Cite this Entry
“Ethane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethane. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
ethane
noun
eth·ane
ˈeth-ˌān
: a colorless odorless gas that consists of carbon and hydrogen, is found in natural gas, and is used especially as a fuel
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
More from Merriam-Webster on ethane
Nglish: Translation of ethane for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ethane
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