ethane(CAS: 74-84-0)

Ethane is mainly used for cracking to produce ethylene and as a refrigerant in refrigeration facilities. It is also used as a standard gas and for preparing specialty standard mixed gases. It is a colorless, flammable liquefied gas. When supplied as liquefied bottled gas, its pressure equals its vapor pressure (37.02 kgf/cm² @ 21.1°C). It is widely used as etching gas, standard gas and calibration gas; for heat treatment in the metallurgical industry; and in the production of ethylene, vinyl chloride, chloroethane, acetaldehyde, ethanol, ethylene oxide glycol and other chemicals. It is also applied as fuel and refrigerant. As a refrigerant, ethane is used in low-temperature refrigeration systems, designated as R170 (Freon 170). In small-scale scientific research, liquid ethane is used for vitrifying water-rich specimens in electron microscopy. Thin aqueous samples are rapidly immersed in liquid ethane at −150 °C or lower, freezing so quickly that water cannot form ice crystals. This rapid freezing preserves the structure of soft biological samples in their native liquid state, without the structural damage caused by ice crystal formation.