Natural Gas

Natural Gas

Most of the hydrocarbons in crude oil are alkanes.
All alkanes:
1. Have the formula CnH(2n+2)
2. Have a name which ends in -ane.
3. Are saturated (all carbon atoms have four single bonds to four different atoms).
The first three alkanes in the family are methane, ethane and propane. They are found in natural gas.
Refinery gas is a mixture of methane (70-90%), ethane and propane.
The methane is separated and used in the home for heating and cooking. It releases more energy and less carbon dioxide than other fuels.
Ethane is mostly processed further then used to make either polymers or other chemicals.
Propane turns to a liquid easily when put under pressure in a cylinder. It is used in LPG fuel for cars, and for cooking and heating where piped gas is not available.

Resource summary

	Created by livmills97 almost 11 years ago