What does ethylene mean?
Ethylene is a colourless, flammable gas made up of two carbon atoms joined by a double bond — the smallest member of the alkene family of hydrocarbons. Its unusual reactivity makes it enormously valuable to industry: ethylene is produced on a scale of well over a hundred million tonnes per year worldwide, serving as the raw material for polyethylene plastic, antifreeze, solvents, and countless other products. At the same time, ethylene plays a quiet role in nature as a plant hormone. Fruits such as bananas, apples, and tomatoes release it as they mature, and the gas signals neighbouring fruit to ripen too — which is why storing produce together can speed up spoilage, and why commercial growers deliberately dose shipments with ethylene to achieve even ripening. The word derives from 'ether' via the older term 'ethylene' coined for what was then called the oil of the gas used to make ether, and the alternative name 'ethene' is preferred in strict chemical nomenclature.
nounA colourless flammable gaseous hydrocarbon (C₂H₄), the simplest alkene, produced naturally by plants and used industrially to make plastics such as polyethylene; it is also the plant hormone that promotes fruit ripening.
- The gaseous alkene hydrocarbon C₂H₄, widely used as an industrial feedstock for producing polymers such as polyethylene.
- As a plant hormone: the naturally occurring plant growth regulator that triggers fruit ripening, senescence, and abscission.
"Farmers ship unripe bananas in sealed containers and expose them to ethylene to trigger uniform ripening before sale."
"Global ethylene output is often cited as a rough barometer of a country's chemical industry."
"A single wounded tomato can release enough ethylene to soften its neighbours in the crate."
The ethylene given off by one ripening apple can hasten the spoilage of an entire fruit bowl — it's literally a gas that tells other fruit to grow up.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ethylene
The word ethylene was formed in the mid-nineteenth century from 'ethyl', itself derived from German 'Aethyl', which in turn traces back to Greek 'aithēr', meaning upper air or bright sky — the same root that gives us 'ether' and 'ethereal'. It originally named a compound obtained from 'ether' chemistry before its structure was understood. In modern systematic nomenclature the compound is called 'ethene', though the traditional name remains standard in industry and horticulture.
How ethylene is actually used
A technical term used chiefly in chemistry, agriculture, food logistics, and industry; in everyday speech it appears most often in discussions of fruit ripening or plastic manufacturing. The IUPAC-preferred systematic name is 'ethene', though 'ethylene' remains dominant in industrial and horticultural usage, particularly in North America.
Easily confused with ethylene
Ethane is the saturated hydrocarbon C₂H₆ with only single bonds, whereas ethylene (C₂H₄) contains a carbon–carbon double bond that makes it chemically reactive.