gaseous plant hormone that triggers fruit ripening and plant senescence.

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
ethylene (noun)
1.
a colorless flammable gaseous unsaturated hydrocarbon CH that is found in coal gas, can be produced by pyrolysis of petroleum hydrocarbons, and occurs in plants functioning especially as a natural growth regulator that promotes the ripening of fruit - 2 4
2.
a divalent hydrocarbon group CH derived from ethane - 2 4
ethylene (Wikipedia)
Ethylene
Ethylene-CRC-MW-dimensions-2D.png
Ethylene-CRC-MW-3D-balls.png
Ethylene-3D-vdW.png
Names
IUPAC name
Ethene
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.000.742
EC Number 200-815-3
KEGG
UNII
Properties
C
2
H
4
Molar mass 28.054 g·mol−1
Appearance colorless gas
Density 1.178 kg/m3 at 15 °C, gas
Melting point −169.2 °C (−272.6 °F; 104.0 K)
Boiling point −103.7 °C (−154.7 °F; 169.5 K)
3.5 mg/100 mL (17 °C);[citation needed] 2.9 mg/L
Solubility in ethanol 4.22 mg/L
Solubility in diethyl ether good
Acidity (pKa) 44
Conjugate acid Ethenium
-15.30·10−6 cm3/mol
Structure
D2h
zero
Thermochemistry
219.32 J·K−1·mol−1
+52.47 kJ/mol
Hazards
Safety data sheet See: data page
ICSC 0475
Extremely Flammable F+
R-phrases (outdated) R12 R67
S-phrases (outdated) (S2) S9 S16 S33 S46
NFPA 704
Flammability code 4: Will rapidly or completely vaporize at normal atmospheric pressure and temperature, or is readily dispersed in air and will burn readily. Flash point below 23 °C (73 °F). E.g., propaneHealth code 2: Intense or continued but not chronic exposure could cause temporary incapacitation or possible residual injury. E.g., chloroformReactivity code 2: Undergoes violent chemical change at elevated temperatures and pressures, reacts violently with water, or may form explosive mixtures with water. E.g., phosphorusSpecial hazards (white): no codeNFPA 704 four-colored diamond
4
2
2
Flash point −136 °C (−213 °F; 137 K)
542.8 °C (1,009.0 °F; 815.9 K)
Related compounds
Ethane
Acetylene
Propene
Supplementary data page
Refractive index (n),
Dielectric constantr), etc.
Thermodynamic
data
Phase behaviour
solid–liquid–gas
UV, IR, NMR, MS
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Infobox references

Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula C
2
H
4
or H2C=CH2. It is a colorless flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon-carbon double bonds).

Ethylene is widely used in the chemical industry, and its worldwide production (over 150 million tonnes in 2016) exceeds that of any other organic compound. Much of this production goes toward polyethylene, a widely used plastic containing polymer chains of ethylene units in various chain lengths. Ethylene is also an important natural plant hormone and is used in agriculture to force the ripening of fruits. Ethylene's hydrate is ethanol.

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