A colorless, odorless gas that is the second simplest hydrocarbon, with two carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms, used as fuel.
From eth- (ethyl) plus -ane (alkane suffix). The -ane suffix indicates a saturated hydrocarbon with single bonds, where methane is the simplest (one carbon) and ethane is the next (two carbons).
Ethane is invisible but it's everywhere—it makes up about 5% of natural gas, and when natural gas is liquefied for transport, ethane freezes out, making it a crucial source of industrial chemicals worldwide.
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