Meaning & use
propylene
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Meaning
noununcountablechemistrytechnical
A flammable gas made from oil and natural gas, used as a raw material for plastics, fibers, and many other products.
Grammar: Uncountable, like most chemical names: propylene is stored under pressure.
Patterns
- propylene from something
- propylene for something
The plant converts propylene into plastic pellets.
Propylene is separated from other gases during oil refining.
Food containers are often made from polymers of propylene.
Common combinations
- propylene glycol
- Propylene glycol is added to some antifreeze.
- propylene oxide
- Propylene oxide is used to make foam.
- propylene gas
- Propylene gas is flammable.
- produce propylene
- Refineries produce propylene as a by-product.
- polymerize propylene
- Chemists polymerize propylene to make polypropylene.
Synonyms and how they differ
- propene
- Propene is the formal systematic name used by chemists, while propylene is the common industrial name.
- C3H6
- The formula names the same substance but is used in scientific shorthand rather than ordinary speech.
Word family
- polypropylene noun
- a tough plastic made from propylene
- propane noun
- a related fuel gas with a single bond
- ethylene noun
- a similar, smaller gas used for plastics
Commonly confused: propylene or propane? propylene or propylene glycol?
propylene vs propane
Propane is a saturated gas used as fuel, while propylene has a double bond and is mainly used to make plastics.
propylene vs propylene glycol
Propylene glycol is a liquid derived from propylene and used in foods and antifreeze; it is not the gas itself.
Practice
Which substance is the main raw material for making the plastic polypropylene?
Choose one answer.
Polypropylene is built by linking many propylene molecules together. Propane has a similar name and is a tempting choice, but it is used mostly as fuel.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “propylene”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.