Dictionary
a•cet•y•lene
Pronunciation: (u-set'l-ēn", -in), [key]—
n. Chem.
a colorless gas, C
2H
2, having an etherlike odor, produced usually by the action of water on calcium carbide or by pyrolysis of natural gas: used esp. in metal cutting and welding, as an illuminant, and in organic synthesis. Also called
ethine, ethyne. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.