Butane, either of two colorless, odorless, gaseous hydrocarbons (compounds

of carbon and hydrogen), members of the series of paraffinic hydrocarbons.

Their chemical formula is C4H10. The compound in which the carbon atoms are
linked in a straight chain is denoted normal butane, or n-butane; the
branched-chain form is isobutene. Both compounds occur in natural gas and
in crude oil and are formed in large quantities in the refining of petroleum to
produce gasoline.
The butanes present in natural gas can be separated from the large quantities of lower-
boiling gaseous constituents, such as methane and ethane, by absorption in a light oil.
The butanes thus obtained can be stripped from the absorbent along with propane and
marketed as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or they can be separated from the propane
and then from each other by fractional distillation: n-butane boils at -0.5° C (31.1° F);
isobutane boils at -11.7° C (10.9° F). Butanes formed by catalytic cracking and other
refinery processes are also recovered by absorption into a light oil.

Commercially, n-butane can be added to gasoline to increase its volatility. Transformed

to isobutane in a refinery process known as isomerization, it can be reacted with certain
other hydrocarbons such as butylene to form valuable high-octane constituents of
gasoline.
fossil fuel

 Introduction

Fast Facts

 fossil fuel summary

 Facts & Related Content
 Quizzes

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HomeScienceEarth Science, Geologic Time & FossilsEarth Sciences

fossil fuel
Print Cite Share Feedback 
Alternate titles: mineral fuel
By Otto C. Kopp Last Updated: Sep 8, 2022 Edit History

bituminous coal

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Related Topics:

petroleum natural gas coal oil shale asphalt

See all related content →

Summary

Read a brief summary of this topic

Fossil fuel

oil well
fossil fuel, any of a class of hydrocarbon-containing materials of biological origin
occurring within Earth’s crust that can be used as a source of energy.

Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, natural gas, oil shales, bitumens, tar sands,

and heavy oils. All contain carbon and were formed as a result of geologic processes
acting on the remains of organic matter produced by photosynthesis, a process that
began in the Archean Eon (4.0 billion to 2.5 billion years ago). Most carbonaceous
material occurring before the Devonian Period (419.2 million to 358.9 million years ago)
was derived from algae and bacteria, whereas most carbonaceous material occurring
during and after that interval was derived from plants.
BRITANNICA QUIZ

Energy & Fossil Fuels

 From fossil fuels and solar power to Thomas Edison and Nicola Tesla’s electric marvels, the
world runs on energy. Harness your natural resources and test your knowledge of energy in
this quiz.

internal-combustion engine: four-stroke cycle

All fossil fuels can be burned in air or with oxygen derived from air to provide heat. This

heat may be employed directly, as in the case of home furnaces, or used to
produce steam to drive generators that can supply electricity. In still other cases—for
example, gas turbines used in jet aircraft—the heat yielded by burning a fossil fuel serves
to increase both the pressure and the temperature of the combustion products to furnish
motive power.
Find out whether fossil fuels really come from fossils
See all videos for this article

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain in the second half of
the 18th century, fossil fuels have been consumed at an ever-increasing rate. Today
they supply more than 80 percent of all the energy consumed by the industrially
developed countries of the world. Although new deposits continue to be discovered, the
reserves of the principal fossil fuels remaining on Earth are limited. The amounts of
fossil fuels that can be recovered economically are difficult to estimate, largely because
of changing rates of consumption and future value as well as technological
developments. Advances in technology—such as hydraulic fracturing (fracking), rotary
drilling, and directional drilling—have made it possible to extract smaller and difficult-
to-obtain deposits of fossil fuels at a reasonable cost, thereby increasing the amount of
recoverable material. In addition, as recoverable supplies of conventional (light-to-
medium) oil became depleted, some petroleum-producing companies shifted to
extracting heavy oil, as well as liquid petroleum pulled from tar sands and oil shales. See
also coal mining; petroleum production.
Keeling Curve

One of the main by-products of fossil fuel combustion is carbon dioxide (CO2). The ever-
increasing use of fossil fuels in industry, transportation, and construction has added
large amounts of CO2 to Earth’s atmosphere. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations fluctuated
between 275 and 290 parts per million by volume (ppmv) of dry air between
1000 CE and the late 18th century but increased to 316 ppmv by 1959 and rose to 412
ppmv in 2018. CO2 behaves as a greenhouse gas—that is, it absorbs infrared
radiation (net heat energy) emitted from Earth’s surface and reradiates it back to the
surface. Thus, the substantial CO2 increase in the atmosphere is a major contributing
factor to human-induced global warming. Methane (CH4), another potent greenhouse
gas, is the chief constituent of natural gas, and CH4 concentrations in Earth’s
atmosphere rose from 722 parts per billion (ppb) before 1750 to 1,859 ppb by 2018. To
counter worries over rising greenhouse gas concentrations and to diversify their energy
mix, many countries have sought to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels by
developing sources of renewable energy (such
as wind, solar, hydroelectric, tidal, geothermal, and biofuels) while at the same time
increasing the mechanical efficiency of engines and other technologies that rely on fossil
fuels.
Otto C. KoppThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Load Next Page 

The butanes present in natural gas can be separated from the large quantities of lower-
boiling gaseous constituents, such as methane and ethane, by absorption in a light oil.
The butanes thus obtained can be stripped from the absorbent along with propane and
marketed as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or they can be separated from the propane
and then from each other by fractional distillation: n-butane boils at -0.5° C (31.1° F);
isobutane boils at -11.7° C (10.9° F). Butanes formed by catalytic cracking and other
refinery processes are also recovered by absorption into a light oil.

Commercially, n-butane can be added to gasoline to increase its volatility. Transformed

to isobutane in a refinery process known as isomerization, it can be reacted with certain
other hydrocarbons such as butylene to form valuable high-octane constituents of
gasoline.
fossil fuel

 Introduction

Fast Facts

 fossil fuel summary

 Facts & Related Content
 Quizzes

Media

 Videos
 Images

More

 More Articles On This Topic

 Contributors
 Article History

HomeScienceEarth Science, Geologic Time & FossilsEarth Sciences

fossil fuel
Print Cite Share Feedback 
Alternate titles: mineral fuel
By Otto C. Kopp Last Updated: Sep 8, 2022 Edit History
bituminous coal

See all media

Related Topics:

petroleum natural gas coal oil shale asphalt

See all related content →

Summary

Read a brief summary of this topic

Fossil fuel

oil well
fossil fuel, any of a class of hydrocarbon-containing materials of biological origin
occurring within Earth’s crust that can be used as a source of energy.

Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, natural gas, oil shales, bitumens, tar sands,

and heavy oils. All contain carbon and were formed as a result of geologic processes
acting on the remains of organic matter produced by photosynthesis, a process that
began in the Archean Eon (4.0 billion to 2.5 billion years ago). Most carbonaceous
material occurring before the Devonian Period (419.2 million to 358.9 million years ago)
was derived from algae and bacteria, whereas most carbonaceous material occurring
during and after that interval was derived from plants.
BRITANNICA QUIZ

Energy & Fossil Fuels

 From fossil fuels and solar power to Thomas Edison and Nicola Tesla’s electric marvels, the
world runs on energy. Harness your natural resources and test your knowledge of energy in
this quiz.

internal-combustion engine: four-stroke cycle

All fossil fuels can be burned in air or with oxygen derived from air to provide heat. This

heat may be employed directly, as in the case of home furnaces, or used to
produce steam to drive generators that can supply electricity. In still other cases—for
example, gas turbines used in jet aircraft—the heat yielded by burning a fossil fuel serves
to increase both the pressure and the temperature of the combustion products to furnish
motive power.
Find out whether fossil fuels really come from fossils
See all videos for this article

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain in the second half of
the 18th century, fossil fuels have been consumed at an ever-increasing rate. Today
they supply more than 80 percent of all the energy consumed by the industrially
developed countries of the world. Although new deposits continue to be discovered, the
reserves of the principal fossil fuels remaining on Earth are limited. The amounts of
fossil fuels that can be recovered economically are difficult to estimate, largely because
of changing rates of consumption and future value as well as technological
developments. Advances in technology—such as hydraulic fracturing (fracking), rotary
drilling, and directional drilling—have made it possible to extract smaller and difficult-
to-obtain deposits of fossil fuels at a reasonable cost, thereby increasing the amount of
recoverable material. In addition, as recoverable supplies of conventional (light-to-
medium) oil became depleted, some petroleum-producing companies shifted to
extracting heavy oil, as well as liquid petroleum pulled from tar sands and oil shales. See
also coal mining; petroleum production.
Keeling Curve

One of the main by-products of fossil fuel combustion is carbon dioxide (CO2). The ever-
increasing use of fossil fuels in industry, transportation, and construction has added
large amounts of CO2 to Earth’s atmosphere. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations fluctuated
between 275 and 290 parts per million by volume of dry air between 1000 CE and the
late 18th century but increased to 316 by 1959 and rose to 412 in 2018. CO 2 behaves as
a greenhouse gas—that is, it absorbs infrared radiation (net heat energy) emitted from
Earth’s surface and reradiates it back to the surface. Thus, the substantial CO2 increase
in the atmosphere is a major contributing factor to human-induced global
warming. Methane (CH4), another potent greenhouse gas, is the chief constituent of
natural gas, and CH4 concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere rose from 722 parts per
billion (ppb) before 1750 to 1,859 ppb by 2018. To counter worries over rising
greenhouse gas concentrations and to diversify their energy mix, many countries have
sought to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels by developing sources of renewable
energy (such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, tidal, geothermal, and biofuels) while at the
same time increasing the mechanical efficiency of engines and other technologies that
rely on fossil fuels.