Acetylene (C2H2)

Acetylene is an important hydrocarbon that finds its broad use as a fuel in welding and portable lighting, also as a chemical building block to form plastics, acrylic acid derivatives, etc.

The precise measurement of acetylene, especially in the low ppb concentration, extends its application to more research areas. One research shows that the acetylene can be used a tracer gas to quantify the fugitive emission rate of CH₄ from landfills or other extended methane sources.

Moreover, the ability to accurately detect the trace amount of acetylene as the byproduct of certain processes can have great values for diagnosis and safe operation, such as the detection of acetylene as a symbol for dangerous arc discharge occurring to a power transformer.