Butane

Saba Qassim | Miss Healey | Ashcroft Technology Academy

What is butane?
Butane
• Butane is an alkane composed of 4
carbon atoms. It has a role as a food
propellant and a refrigerant. It is a gas
molecular entity and an alkane.Butane is
a colorless gas with a faint petroleum-like
odor. For transportation it may be
stenched. It is shipped as a liquefied gas
under its vapor pressure. It is easily
ignited. Its vapors are heavier than air.
Any leak can be either liquid or vapor.
What is an alkane?
Alkane
• In organic chemistry, an alkane is a
saturated hydrocarbon and a part of
the homologous series. Alkanes,
consists of hydrogen and carbon
atoms arranged in a tree structure in
which all the carbon–carbon bonds
are single.This makes them relatively
unreactive, apart from their reaction
with oxygen in the air - which we call
burning or combustion. They have a
general formula of CnH2n+2
Its structure,

• C₄H₁₀

• Made up of 4 carbon atoms and 10 hydrogen atoms.

• Butane is a saturated hydrocarbon as single bonds are found between all

carbon atoms of butane.

• Butane undergoes oxidation which results in the formation of carbon dioxide

and water. Chemical equation:

• 2C4H10 + 13O2 → 8CO2 + 10H2O

• Butane reacts with chlorine resulting in the formation of butyl chloride and
hydrogen chloride. Chemical equation:

• C4H10 + Cl2 → C4H9Cl + HCl

Its synthesis/ extraction,

• Butane is produced from crude oils: decaying organic matter buried deep
underground. Fractional distillation purifies the crude oil and compresses the
butane into an odourless and flammable liquid.

• The crude oil is extracted from underground in huge oil rigs in the middle of
the sea.

• There are two methods used to crack alkanes: catalytic cracking and steam
cracking in order to break the long hydrocarbon chains to shorter more useful
hydrocarbon chains
Its uses,

• It has a role as a food propellant and a refrigerant.

• It is used as a fuel, an aerosol propellant, in cigarette lighters, and to make

other chemicals.

• It has a role as a food propellant and a refrigerant

• It is used as a fuel, an aerosol propellant, in cigarette lighters, and to make

other chemicals.

• Used for heating, cooking, water heaters or powering a restaurant kitchen

• Combined with propane for heaters and portable torches- LPG, liquified
petroleum gas
Interesting facts about it:

• If you come into contact with liquid butane, you will gain frostbites

• Any leak can be either liquid or vapor under prolonged exposure to fire or
intense heat the containers may rupture violently and rocket.

• In the word butane, prefix ‘But’ stands for 4 carbon atoms present in butane
and suffix ‘ane’ comes from the alkane series which represent that butane
belongs from alkane homologous series and is saturated in nature.

• Root 'but' is from butyric acid, the Greek word for butter, and suffix 'ane'
discovered by Dr Walter Snelling in 1912