Abstract
Ethene ($C_2H_4$), which is produced in plants as they mature, was used to study its photoacoustic properties using photoacoustic spectroscopy. Detection of trace amounts, with $N_2$ gas, of $C_2H_4$ gas was also applied. The gas was tested in various conditions-temperature, concentration of the gas, gas cell length, and power of the laser- to determine their effect on the photoacoustic signal, the ideal conditions to detect trace gas amounts, and concentration of $C_2H_4$ produced by an avocado and a banana. A detection limit of 10 ppm was determined for pure $C_2H_4$. A detection of 5% and 13% (by volume) concentration of $C_2H_4$ was produced for a ripening avocado and banana, respectively, in closed space.