Butane

Butane (/ˈbjuːteɪn/) is an organic compound with the formula C₄H₁₀ that is an alkane with four carbon atoms. Butane is a gas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The term may refer to either of two structural isomers, n-butane or isobutane (or "methylpropane"), or to a mixture of these isomers. In the IUPAC nomenclature, however, "butane" refers only to the n-butane isomer (which is the isomer with the unbranched structure). Butanes are highly flammable, colorless, easily liquefied gases. The name butane comes from the roots but- (from butyric acid) and -ane.

Isomers

Rotation about the central C−C bond produces two different conformations (trans and gauche) for n-butane.

Reactions

When oxygen is plentiful, butane burns to form carbon dioxide and water vapor; when oxygen is limited, carbon (soot) or carbon monoxide may also be formed.

When there is sufficient oxygen:

When oxygen is limited:

The maximum adiabatic flame temperature of butane with air is 2,243 K (1,970 °C; 3,578 °F).

Butane (data page)

This page provides supplementary chemical data on n-butane.

Material Safety Data Sheet

The handling of this chemical may incur notable safety precautions. It is highly recommend that you seek the Material Safety Datasheet (MSDS) for this chemical from a reliable source such as MSDS Search Engine, and follow its directions.

Structure and properties

Thermodynamic properties

Vapor pressure of liquid

n-Butane: Table data obtained from CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics 44th ed.

Spectral data

References

Except where noted otherwise, data relate to standard ambient temperature and pressure.

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