Butane is a component of natural gas and can be produced from crude oil. It is added to gasoline for better performance and used in refrigeration, heating, and cigarette lighters. Butane has a straight line molecular structure and is often combined with propane to form LPG. It becomes highly flammable when released into the air but only releases carbon dioxide as a waste product.
Butane is a gaseous component of natural gas, just like gasoline is a component of crude oil. While petroleum products such as gasoline are refined, natural gas products are extracted. Butane can also be produced from crude oil, but in much smaller quantities. It is often added to regular gasoline to increase its performance without creating a highly volatile product. Gas is also used in refrigeration and heating systems and as fuel for cigarette lighters.
The chemical formula of butane is C4H10, which means that the molecule consists of four carbon atoms surrounded by ten hydrogen atoms to form a straight line. It looks a bit like a four-segmented carbon caterpillar with ten hydrogen legs. This form is technically called n-butane, where n stands for “normal.” It has a relative called isobutane, which is mainly used as a replacement for the freon refrigerant in refrigeration systems.
Butane is one of dozens of gases derived from raw natural gas. It is often combined with propane to form a product called liquid propane gas (LPG). This is bottled gas sold for use in camping stoves and outdoor gas grills. Propane may provide more energy, but butane has a certain property that makes it ideal for containment: Once compressed, it becomes a liquid very quickly. However, once released into the air, it reacts with an ignition source to become a highly flammable gas. Unlike other natural gas derivatives, gas only releases carbon dioxide as a waste product, not carbon monoxide.
People can look closely at a clear cigarette lighter to see liquid butane. Once the holder presses a valve, the liquid loses its pressure and becomes gaseous again. The flame is similar to a burning candle, because butane is considered a “paraffin” gas. The liquid remaining in the lighter is slowly expelled, just like the candle wick only attracts enough liquid wax to maintain the flame.
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