Butane

__Butane__ Horace Ng, Block E

Structure


**__Brief Description__** Butane  is one of dozens of gases extracted from raw natural gas and can also be produced from crude oil. Butane is also able to liquefy quickly when it is compressed. Butane can be called //n-butane// (the n in front of butane stands for normal); n-butane is a multipurpose colorless gas. For instance butane can be used for heating, refrigeration, and fuel for lighters. Butane is often mixed with propane to create LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) which is also used for cooking heating and other commercial purposes. Butane can also burn to form carbon dioxide and water vapour when oxygen is plentiful; however when there is a lack of oxygen carbon (soot) or carbon monoxide can also be formed.

Butane gases are sold in bottles as fuel for heating, and cooking. Within the household butane is used as refrigerant which replace ozone depleting halometanes. Butane fuels are also used in traditional hotpot ovens, and are also brought along for camping purposes. Due to the fact that butane is also a highly flammable gas it is ideally used as lighter fuel.
 * __Uses of Butane__ **



__Health Issues__ ** When butane is inhaled it can cause euphoria, drowsiness, narcosis, cardiac arrhythmia and frostbite. Within the UK butane was a misused substance and was the cause of 52% solvent related deaths in the year 2000. If butane is sprayed directly into the throat, the fluid can cool to –20 °C by expanding; this causes the “sudden sniffer’s death” syndrome. Burning butane gas from household heaters and stoves; may also emit nitrogen dioxide (a poisonous gas).



__nteresting Facts__ **

- Liquid states of butane can be found in lighters - The waste product of butane is only carbon dioxide instead of carbon monoxide emitted from other gases - Butane is often added with gasoline to enhance performance without creating a highle volatile product.

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