Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Ethane is a chemical compound with chemical formula C2H6 and structural formula CH3-CH3. It is an alkane, that is, an aliphatic hydrocarbon. At ordinary pressure and temperature ethane is a colourless, odourless gas; boiling point is –88.6°; melting point is –183.3°. It is the simplest hydrocarbon containing more than one carbon atom. Ethane is a prominent compound of industrial importance, by converting it to ethylene or using it as a building block for the petrochemical industry, for the synthesis both of polyethylene plastic and other small compounds. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.