Acetylene By Special Gas & Equipment Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Acetylene

General information

Health risk
Asphysiating, arraesthetizing.

Transport
ADR Class 2, 9 ( C )

Characteristics
Highly flammable. Colourless gas with ether-like odour when very pure, otherwise garlic-like. Supplied dissolved in acetone or DMF. Can decompose instantaneously at pressures higher than 1 bar.

Physical data

Source
Acetylene is manufactured commercially by reaction between calcium carbide and water, and as a by product of ethylene production.

Applications

• Acetylene is used as a raw material for the production of experimental electrically conducting plastics, such as polyacetylene.
• Acetylene is used with high purity air of nitrous oxide as a fuel for the flame in atomic absorption)flame spectroscopy This is used in water and biological research laboratories where sensitivity and accuracyiof results are important.
• Acetylene is most commonly used in combination with oxygen for cutting or welding materials such as mild steel) where the-standard industrial grade is sufficient. Acetylene with low phosphine levels"1s required for lead brazing or welding.
• Acetylene is used in organic synthesis (laboratory work) as well as in chemical synthesis.

This unsaturated hydrocarbon exhibits high chemical reactivity, and is an important intermediate in the chemical industry. It is employed for the production of

• acetaldehyde
• acrylic acids
• acrylic ethers
• acrylonitride
• carbazole
• diols
• ethylene
• neoprene
• polyoxymethylene
• pyrrolidine
• vinyl acetate
• vinyl acetylene
• vinyl amides
• vinyl chloride
• vinyl ethers
• vinyl sulfides
• styrene
• trichloroethylene
• very fine carbon black,
• called acetylene black

Acetylene is still used in sonic lighthouses.