Ethenone

Ethenone

Names
Preferred IUPAC name Ethenone
Other names Ketene Carbomethene Keto-ethylene
Identifiers
CAS Number	463-51-4 Y
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
Beilstein Reference	1098282
ChEBI	CHEBI:48003 Y
ChemSpider	9643 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.006.671
EC Number	207-336-9
PubChem	10038
RTECS number	OA7700000
InChI InChI=1S/C2H2O/c1-2-3/h1H2 Y Key: CCGKOQOJPYTBIH-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y InChI=1/C2H2O/c1-2-3/h1H2 Key: CCGKOQOJPYTBIH-UHFFFAOYSA-N InChI=1/C2H2O/c1-2-3/h1H2 Key: CCGKOQOJPYTBIH-UHFFFAOYAO
SMILES O=C=C
Properties
Chemical formula	C2H2O
Molar mass	42.037 g/mol
Appearance	Colourless gas
Odor	penetrating
Density	1.93 g/cm3
Melting point	−150.5 °C (−238.9 °F; 122.6 K)
Boiling point	−56.1 °C (−69.0 °F; 217.1 K)
Solubility in water	decomposes
Solubility	soluble in acetone ethanol ethyl ether aromatic solvents halocarbons
Vapor pressure	>1 atm (20°C)
Refractive index (nD)	1.4355
Thermochemistry
Specific heat capacity (C)	51.75 J/K mol
Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfHo298)	-87.24 kJ/mol
Hazards
Safety data sheet	External MSDS
NFPA 704	0 4 0
Flash point	−107 °C (−161 °F; 166 K)
Explosive limits	5.5-18%
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
LD50 (median dose)	1300 mg/kg (oral, rat)
LC50 (median concentration)	17 ppm (mouse, 10 min)
LCLo (lowest published)	23 ppm (mouse, 30 min) 53 ppm (rabbit, 2 hr) 53 ppm (guinea pig, 2 hr) 750 ppm (cat, 10 min) 200 ppm (monkey, 10 min) 50 ppm (mouse, 10 min) 1000 ppm (rabbit, 10 min)
US health exposure limits (NIOSH):
PEL (Permissible)	TWA 0.5 ppm (0.9 mg/m3)
REL (Recommended)	TWA 0.5 ppm (0.9 mg/m3) ST 1.5 ppm (3 mg/m3)
IDLH (Immediate danger)	5 ppm
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
N  (what is YN ?)
Infobox references

Ethenone is the formal name for ketene, an organic compound with formula C₂H₂O or H₂C=C=O. It is the simplest member of the ketene class. It is a tautomer of ethynol.

Ethenone is a very poisonous colourless gas at STP and has a sharp irritating odour. It is soluble in acetone, ethanol, ethyl ether, aromatic solvents and halocarbons.

Ethenone can be prepared in the laboratory by pyrolysis of acetone vapor. It is also formed by reacting acetyl chloride with a proton acceptor like trimethylamine.

Ethenone is very reactive, tending to react with nucleophiles to form an acetyl group. For example, it reacts with water to form acetic acid; with acetic acid to form acetic anhydride; with ammonia and amines to form ethanamides; and with dry hydrogen halides to form acetyl halides.

Ethenone will also react with itself via to form cyclic dimers known as diketenes. For this reason, it should not be stored for long periods.

Exposure to concentrated levels causes humans to experience irritation of body parts such as the eye, nose, throat and lungs. Extended toxicity testing on mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits showed that ten-minute exposures to concentrations of freshly generated ethenone as low as 0.2 mg/liter (116 ppm) may produce a high percentage of deaths in small animals. These findings put ethenone in the same order of toxicity as phosgene (0.2–20 mg/liter) and hydrogen cyanide (0.2-0.5 mg/liter). Death is from pulmonary edema and is entirely similar to, but much more rapid than is the case with phosgene poisoning.