Ethane is a colorless, odorless gas with the chemical formula C₂H₆, consisting of two carbon atoms single-bonded together with six hydrogen atoms. As the second simplest alkane after methane, ethane was first synthesized in 1834 by Michael Faraday through electrolysis of acetate solutions, though it occurs naturally in significant quantities in natural gas deposits (typically 5-10%) and petroleum. This highly flammable gas liquefies at -88.5°C and serves as a crucial feedstock in the petrochemical industry, where it’s “cracked” at high temperatures to produce ethylene – the world’s most important chemical building block for plastics. With the shale gas revolution dramatically increasing ethane availability, particularly in the United States, this once-overlooked component of natural gas has become a valuable commodity driving billions of dollars in new chemical plant investments worldwide.

Find a review of the 50 most important industrial gases here.

20 Fun Facts About Ethane

Beyond the basics above, what else should we know about Ethane? Check out the 20 fun facts below!

1. Ethane burns with the hottest flame of all alkane gases at 1,960°C, making it useful for specialized high-temperature welding.
2. Saturn’s moon Titan has liquid ethane lakes near its poles, with some larger than North America’s Great Lakes.
3. The molecule rotates freely around its carbon–carbon bond 10¹¹ times per second at room temperature.
4. Ethane is only 3% less dense than air, causing it to disperse quickly unlike heavier hydrocarbons that pool dangerously.
5. A single ethane cracker plant can cost $10 billion to build and consume as much electricity as a city of 50,000 people.
6. The gas forms unusual cage-like structures with water called clathrate hydrates that can block undersea pipelines.
7. Ethane prices dropped 80% between 2011-2020 due to shale gas abundance, revolutionizing American chemical manufacturing.
8. Your body produces trace amounts of ethane when omega-3 fatty acids are oxidized, detectable in exhaled breath.
9. The compound liquefies at just 543 PSI at room temperature, compared to methane‘s 4,600 PSI requirement.
10. Ethane “rain” falls on Titan at -180°C, creating rivers and deltas visible in Cassini spacecraft images.
11. Industrial ethylene plants can convert 80% of ethane to ethylene in a single pass at 850°C using steam cracking.
12. The carbon–carbon bond in ethane is exactly 1.535 Angstroms long, serving as a reference standard in chemistry.
13. Ethane has zero ozone depletion potential and minimal greenhouse effect, making it an environmentally preferred fuel.
14. Deep-sea bacteria near oil seeps can metabolize ethane without oxygen, using sulfate instead in a process called anaerobic oxidation.
15. The U.S. exports 2 million barrels of ethane daily, primarily to Europe and Asia for plastics production.
16. Ethane sensors on Mars rovers search for signs of life, as the gas could indicate either biological or geological activity.
17. Pipeline-quality ethane must be 90% pure minimum, with the remainder typically being methane and propane.
18. The molecule has only one possible structure, making it simpler than any other multi-carbon hydrocarbon.
19. Refrigeration systems use ethane (R-170) as an eco-friendly alternative with excellent thermodynamic properties.
20. Ancient natural gas deposits contain up to 20% ethane from millions of years of thermal maturation of organic matter.

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