The primary value of Acetylene lies in its extremely high flame temperature (over 3,150 degrees Centigrade), which is the hottest of all common fuel gases. An example is welding and Metal Fabrication Oxy-Acetylene Welding: When mixed with pure oxygen, acetylene creates a flame hot enough to melt and weld steel.
Acetylene has a history of "accidental" discoveries by several different scientists: 1836 (The First Discovery): It was first discovered by Edmund Davy (cousin of the famous Humphry Davy). He produced it by accident while trying to isolate potassium metal. He called it a "new carburet of hydrogen." 1860 (The Naming): The French chemist Marcellin Berthelot rediscovered the gas and coined the name "acetylene." He was the first to study its chemical properties in detail. 1892 (Commercial Breakthrough): A Canadian inventor named Thomas Willson accidentally discovered an efficient way to mass-produce calcium carbide, which releases acetylene when it touches water. This discovery made the gas commercially viable for the first time.
acetylene can explode if it's pressurized too high in its pure form. This is why it is stored in specialized cylinders filled with a "porous mass" and a solvent like acetone, which keeps the gas stable.
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