New calculations show that a basic tenet of chemistry is wrong: Ethane forms its most stable structure not due to so-called steric effects, but because of a quantum mechanical influence.

Ethane is simply described as C2H6. But that molecule, a byproduct of natural gas, has triggered a petrochemical boom that is reshaping the Gulf Coast, the energy industry that lives here, and ...

The facility will heat the ethane to very high temperatures—we’re talking 1,500 degrees. And at that temperature, an ethane molecule actually starts to break apart.

For example, another molecule that has a similar profile is ethane, a gas that has been found in many planets' atmospheres, such as Neptune—which definitely doesn't indicate life.

Open a bag of frozen shrimp from Walmart. Toss the packaging in the trash. Two routine tasks, but they represent final commercial destinations for ethane molecules freed from Texas shale, a ...

India was the second largest importer of ethane from the US, after China, last year aided by rising demand for petrochemicals, lower prices of the commodity in the US and growing tanker capacity.

The molecular "building blocks" necessary for life on Earth could have originated in space, according to a new study. Scientists have demonstrated a number of organic molecules can form when ...

Scientists have confirmed the existence of a molecule that potentially could form cell-like membranes on Titan.

By using a specially designed MOF -- one in which a kind of iron was added inside the tiny molecular cages -- the researchers were able to reduce the need for extreme heat, converting ethane to ...