ethano

Ethano is a term used in chemistry to refer to the two-carbon unit used in systematic IUPAC nomenclature. It most commonly denotes the hydrocarbon ethane (C2H6), the simplest member of the alkane family. In many IUPAC names, the root ethan- or ethano- serves as the base for two-carbon structures and derivatives, while the final suffix indicates the functional group or class.

Ethane itself is a colorless, odorless gas at room temperature. It is less reactive than more substituted hydrocarbons, and its principal properties arise from a single carbon–carbon single bond. Ethane is highly flammable and forms explosive mixtures with air under certain conditions. It is present in natural gas and is also found in crude oil, often separated through refining and gas processing. Industrially, ethane is predominantly used as a feedstock for the production of ethylene via steam cracking, a key step in the petrochemical industry. Ethylene serves as a foundational building block for polymers such as polyethylene, as well as for a wide range of chemicals.

In nomenclature, the stem ethano- is used to form names for two-carbon compounds. Examples include ethanoic acid (acetic acid, CH3CO2H) and ethanal (acetaldehyde, CH3CHO). The fully saturated two-carbon alcohol is commonly called ethanol, with the systematic name eth an-1-ol in IUPAC nomenclature. This illustrates how ethano/ethan- functions as a naming root across different functional groups, even though the plain two-carbon alkane is most commonly known as ethane.