Ethane

Ethane (C₂H₆) is a simple alkane with two carbon atoms connected by a single bond. A significant component of natural gas, ethane undergoes cracking to produce ethylene, a building block for plastics.

Explore searchable catalogue of hundreds of molecules, including details on how models were generated.

Notes

• Model is optimized/tested for print with Bambu PLA and Elegoo PLA+, 

• I decided to go with the ball-and-stick type, as it is easiest to color, is rigid, and looks awesome.

• I oriented the model for optimal strength/waste/time compromise, but if you decide to reorient it, try to avoid placing critical bonds along the Z-axis, as they will be easy to break.

• For support settings, see Figure 1. Supports are removable without too much worry of damaging model if you are careful with scalpel and do of paper-sanding afterwards.

• You can use PETG as support material (don't forget to set the heatbed to 70 °C!) and PLA for the model itself (the support then come off much easier). For extra swag, use PLA support filament or PVA as supports.

• Recommended colorization is based on the Corey–Pauling–Koltun (CPK) palette (Figure 2). To quickly change atom colors, use the settings depicted in Figure 3.
  Alternatively, if you want to save filament and time, print the model in full-white and paint it with a permanent marker.

Figure 1. Support page settings

Figure 2. Recommended palette based on CPK coloring.

Figure 3. Setting to quickly color atoms with one click.

Figure 4. Filament flushing page.

Happy printing!