Acetylenes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A class of unsaturated hydrocarbons characterized by a triple bond between carbon atoms, which are known for their use in welding and as building blocks in organic synthesis
2. Hydrocarbons distinguished by a carbon-carbon triple bond, commonly utilized as fuel sources and in the production of various chemical compounds
3. Organic molecules featuring a linear structure with at least one triple bond, often employed in industrial applications such as cutting and chemical manufacturing

Etymology: Acetylenes is the plural of "acetylene," a term that Marcellin Berthelot, the French chemist, coined in French as "acétylène." The name is built from two parts: "acetyl," a radical taken from the Latin "acetum" meaning vinegar (the acetyl group is the one found in acetic acid, vinegar's main component), and the suffix "-ene," which chemists used to mark unsaturated hydrocarbons containing a double bond, as in "ethylene." Berthelot's name therefore tells you that the compound is a hydrocarbon related to the acetyl family, though its defining feature is a triple bond rather than a double one. The plural form simply refers to the whole class of such compounds, and the singular is the name for the simplest member of that class, the gas with two carbon atoms and two hydrogen atoms. Because the suffix "-ene" was already used for compounds with double bonds, the choice of "-ene" for a triple-bonded molecule is a naming inconsistency that chemists inherited rather than a deliberate description of its bonding.

Synonyms: alkynes, ethyne compounds