Methane (Natural Gas)

Xavier Scott and Bruce EtheridgeCHM 1045

November 9, 20101

• Molecular Formula: CH₄

• Shape: Tetrahedral

• Molecular weight : 16.043 g/mol

• melts at -184°C, and boils at -161.4°C

• exothermic reaction (ΔH = -891 kJ/mol)

• State: colorless, odorless gas and is less dense than air 2

Properties

Properties

• Density = 0.68 kg/m3

• Highly Combustible

• A non-polar molecule and is insoluble in water

• It dissolves in non-polar solvents like alcohol

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Chemical Properties

• Methane Fuel (Natural Gas)

• Methane’s Reactivity

• Bunsen Burner

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•Emission level factors:

•Climate

•Energy types and usage

•Waste management practices

• Temperature

• Moisture

Global Warming

• Methane is classed as a greenhouse gas

• Global Warming Potential (GWP)

• CO₂ vs. CH₄

• Ticking time bomb

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7Methane a Global Disaster? movie.mp4

Where do we find Methane?Natural• Wetlands 80%• Termites• Methane Hydrates • OceansIndustrial• Loss during coal, oil and gas extraction• Waste treatment, from landfill sites, rice cultivation

and biomass burning

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Where do we find Methane?

Livestock• Livestock grazing contributes an estimated 20

percent of all global methane emissions

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Methanogens

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•Methanogens a very diverse groupthey are either rod shaped or spherical

•There are over 50 subspecies of methanogens classified under the Archaebacteria

•Hydrogenotrophic

•Acetotrophic or Acetoclastic

History

• Discovered by Alessandro Volta in 1776

• John Dalton(1766-1844), collecting methane

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Methane ApplicationsFuel• Heat homes and buildingsHydrogen• Produced by steam-methane reforming

Industrial Uses• Production of important industrial chemicals

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ReferencesAtkins, Peter. Atkins’ Molecules. United Kingdom: Cambridge

University Press 2003. Print.

Roger Haynard and Linius Paulins. The Architecture Of Molecules. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company. 1964. Print.

K.C Nicolaou and T. Montagnon. The Molecules that Changed the World . Germany: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinhein. 2008. Print.

J.A. Beran. Laboratory Manual for Principles of General Chemistry. Eighth Edition. John Wiley & Sons Inc. 2009. Print.

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References Shakhashiri, Bassam Z. Chemical of the Week -- Methane. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Web. 1 November 2012.

Methane Properties. Gas Plant Manufacturers. Web. 1 November 2010.

Cotton, Simon. The Molecule of the Month: Methane. Uppingham School, Rutland, UK. Web. 1 November 2010.

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Acknowledgements

• Bruce Etheridge

• Xavier Scott

• Professor Renee Becker

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