How It’s Used Ethylene (aka ethene, acetene, bicarburretted hydrogen) is a colorless, noncorrosive, nonirritating, and extremely flammable gas with a slightly sweet odor. The compound is primarily used as a reactive monomer (chemical building block) to make polyethylene and as an intermediate in the production of other organic compounds, such as ethylene dichloride and ethylene … Continue reading Ethylene—and Ethylene Monitoring Instrumentation