Perhaps unrecognised in the Rafael bonanza is the mention of 6% Ethane.eclipsed conformation of ethaneethane, a colourless, odourless, gaseous hydrocarbon (compound of hydrogen and carbon), belonging to the paraffin series; its chemical formula is C2H6. Ethane is structurally the simplest hydrocarbon that contains a single carbon–carbon bond. The second most important constituent of natural gas, it also occurs dissolved in petroleum oils and as a by-product of oil refinery operations and of the carbonization of coal.
staggered conformation of ethaneStaggered conformation is the most stable of all ethane conformations because the repulsive forces between electron pairs in the C―H bonds of adjacent carbons are minimized.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The industrial importance of ethane is based upon the ease with which it may be converted to ethylene (C2H4) and hydrogen by pyrolysis, or cracking, when passed through hot tubes. Like propane and, to a lesser extent, butane, ethane is a major raw material for the huge ethylene petrochemical industry, which produces such important products as polyethylene plastic, ethylene glycol, and ethyl alcohol.
