acetylene

[ uh-set-l-een, -in ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a colorless gas, C 2 H 2 , having an etherlike odor, produced usually by the action of water on calcium carbide or by pyrolysis of natural gas: used especially in metal cutting and welding, as an illuminant, and in organic synthesis.

acetylene

/ əˌsɛtɪˈlɛnɪk; əˈsɛtɪˌliːn /

noun

1. a colourless flammable gas used in the manufacture of organic chemicals and in cutting and welding metals. Formula: C 2 H 2 Systematic nameethyne
2. 1. another name for alkyne
   2. ( as modifier )

      acetylene series

acetylene

/ ə-sĕt′l-ēn′,-ən /

1. A colorless, highly flammable or explosive gas with a characteristic sweet odor. It is used in welding torches and in the manufacture of organic chemicals such as vinyl chloride. Acetylene is the simplest alkyne, consisting of two carbon atoms joined by a triple bond and each attached to a single hydrogen atom. Also called ethyne. Chemical formula: C 2 H 2 .

Derived Forms

• acetylenic, adjective

Other Words From

• a·cet·y·len·ic [uh, -set-l-, en, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of acetylene¹

First recorded in 1860–65; acetyl + -ene

Example Sentences

"We've detected water and other molecules like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, and acetylene. However, the emission found was weaker than some models predicted. This might imply a small outer disk radius."

From Science Daily

Eventually, Congress came to realize that something must be done, and a temporary first lighthouse was built in 1912, an unmanned acetylene lamp.

From Los Angeles Times

Webb, sensitive to a large swath of the infrared, should find all those gases and more, including ammonia, acetylene, and hydrogen cyanide.

From Science Magazine

A sewage line had to be thawed with an acetylene torch.

From Washington Post

One afternoon, while her nephew and a friend were welding the crosses, she and her sister and her nephew started cutting metal and making little frogs and other garden art with an acetylene torch.

From Washington Times