The history of ethylene According to the history section in Ethylene, it is written that:

the name ethylene was used in this sense as early as 1852

However, the earliest mention of it I could find was in 1859 (Wurtz, &quot;Sur l'oxyde d'ethylene&quot;; Comptus Rendus 48, p.101). I also found mentions of &quot;ethylene&quot; in 1862 (Wurtz, &quot;[...]On oxide of ethylene, considered as a link between organic and mineral chemistry[...]&quot;), and in 1878 (Frankland and Thorne, &quot;[...]On the Luminosity of Benzol when burnt with non-luminous Combustible Gases[...]&quot;). Can anyone find any earlier publications that mention &quot;ethylene&quot;?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary entry on &quot;ethylene&quot;, the first English usage was in 1849 in the Chemical Gazette (alternate name Journal of Practical Chemistry), published in London. The specific citation is Vol. 7 p. 116 (Mar. 15, 1849). The sentence in which it is used is in an article by &quot;A. Wurtz&quot; titled &quot;On a Series of Organic Alkalies Homologous with Ammonia.&quot;, and the relevant sentence reads &quot;By adding to ammonia the elements of ethylene, $\ce{C4H4}$, ethylic ammonia, $\ce{C4H7N}$, is obtained.&quot;
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