propylene
A scientist carefully transfers propylene gas between two glass containers in the laboratory.
Noun: A colorless, flammable hydrocarbon gas (C₃H₆) with a faint petroleum-like odor. It is an important organic chemical, primarily obtained as a byproduct of petroleum refining and natural gas processing. It is a key starting material (feedstock) in the chemical industry for synthesizing a wide range of products.
Propylene is used as a fundamental building block in industrial chemistry. It is not typically used in everyday contexts but is central to manufacturing. * The chemical plant increased its production of propylene to meet the demand for plastics. * Propylene is separated from other gases during the cracking of petroleum.
- As a monomer: In polymer chemistry, propylene is the monomer that, when polymerized, forms polypropylene (PP), a ubiquitous plastic.
- The propylene gas is catalyzed to form long polymer chains.
- In organic synthesis: It serves as a feedstock for producing compounds like propylene oxide, acrylonitrile, cumene, and oxo alcohols.
- The new catalyst improves the efficiency of converting propylene to propylene oxide.
- Propene: The systematic IUPAC name for propylene, used more frequently in scientific literature.
- Polypropylene (noun): A thermoplastic polymer made by polymerizing propylene, used for packaging, textiles, and automotive parts.
- Propylene glycol (noun): A synthetic organic compound derived from propylene oxide, used as a food additive, in pharmaceuticals, and in antifreeze.
- Propene (The preferred name in formal chemical nomenclature).
- Propylene oxide: An important organic compound produced from propylene, used to make polyurethane plastics and propylene glycol.
- Cracking (steam cracking): The primary industrial process for producing propylene from heavier petroleum fractions.
A scientist carefully transfers propylene gas between two glass containers in the laboratory.
- a flammable gas obtained by cracking petroleum; used in organic synthesis