Chemical Report
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Chemical Name
Ethylene aka Ethene
Molecular compound: C2H4
Storage, Uses, Disposal
Ethylene, at room temperatures is a colourless flammable gas but for storage it is most often kept in a liquid state and for this reason the container the chemical is held in is brought down to an extremely low temperature of approximately -102 degrees Celsius (Carey 2014). Large cryogenic storage tanks are used to house huge quantities of ethylene. The transport of liquid ethylene is mainly done by pipelines that travel large expanses of land going from one storage facility to another, also from time to time is transported through trucks (Ethylene Tank n.d). Ethylene has several uses, including the process of polymerization, in which ethylene is turned into polyethylene, which is the earths most used form of plastic. Ethylene can also be used as an aesthetic as well as through hydration become ethanol, or through oxidation create ethylene oxide a key component to detergents (Carey 2014). The disposal and the method of disposal of Ethylene often depends on what it becomes and what it is used for (Carey 2014). As the properties of ethylene are severally altered when it goes through any of the several different processes like polymerization, oxidation, halogenation, alkylation, each with different requirements of correct disposal. Ethylene is very rarely disposed of on its own as it has no use until transformed through one of many processes.
Ethylene’s Environmental Effects
Exposure to ethylene has several symptoms, including anaesthesia, dizziness, headache and other central nervous system issues (Spark-Myres n.d). Factories or Plants that extract or produce ethylene pose a risk of affecting their workers. Ethylene emissions are released by these facilities and while it is slightly toxic to aquatic organisms this is only in high concentrations. One of the properties of ethylene is that it is very flammable and in the case of a spillage the authorities who must clean the spill must be very careful not to allow it to ignite otherwise the surrounding ecosystems or manmade structures will be severely damaged. Ethylene occurs naturally in the environment, it is produced by plants to help further the plants life cycle and ripening process (Organically Grown Cotton - Mountain Equipment Co-op n.d.). This poses a threat to markets, florist, suppliers and growers as ethylene dwarfs the shelf life of several different types of flowers and fruits, accelerating their life cycle and providing less time for them to be sold.
Word Equation
Ethylene + oxygen ----------> Ethylene Oxide Reaction type: Combustion
CO2 + H2O ----------------------à C2H4O
History of Ethylene
Ethylene was used throughout history mainly to hasten the growing process of crops by several different ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians would cut fruit causing more ethylene production in plant tissues or by the Chinese who would stimulate the ripening of pears through burning incense in closed rooms (Fruit ripening gas n.d). Also, another fact about ethylene is that several scholars and geologists that the Greek oracle at Delphi went into her dream-like state only because of ethylene that had come up through ground faults (Roach 2001).