Natural gas (methane)

The gas behind the Midrex furnace

1. Natural gas (methane): from zero

Many kitchen stoves in Egypt burn natural gas. The iron industry uses the same gas.

Pick the right answer

Predict: what is natural gas mostly made of?

Explanation

Natural gas is mostly methane,

CH4 CH X_{4}

, a compound of carbon and hydrogen that burns as a fuel. Oxygen helps the burning, and

CO2 CO X_{2}

is a product of it.

Natural gas

A gas fuel found underground. Its main part is methane,

CH4 CH X_{4}

Part	Natural gas (%)
Methane	93
Other gases	7

The book's figure: natural gas is 93% methane.

Methane, CH₄: one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms

Hydrocarbon

A compound made of carbon and hydrogen only.

Methane has one C atom, so it is the simplest hydrocarbon.

Sort into groups

Sort each substance.

$C3H8 C X_{3} H X_{8}$ $CO2 CO X_{2}$ $H2O H X_{2} O$ $C2H6 C X_{2} H X_{6}$ $CO CO$

Fill in the blanks

The Midrex furnace uses

2CH4 2 CH X_{4}

. That is _____ carbon atoms and _____ hydrogen atoms.

Explanation

2 × 1 = 2 C atoms and 2 × 4 = 8 H atoms.

Natural gas is a fuel found underground; it is mostly methane (93% in the book).
Methane, $CH4 CH X_{4}$ , is the simplest hydrocarbon: carbon and hydrogen only.
A number in front of a formula multiplies every atom in it.

Back to the hook: can you explain why methane is called a hydrocarbon?

Reveal

CH4 CH X_{4}

Methane,

CH4 CH X_{4}

, has one C atom and four H atoms: it is made of carbon and hydrogen only, so it is a hydrocarbon.