What is Methane: Definition and 111 Discussions

Methane (US: ; UK: ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CH4 (one atom of carbon and four atoms of hydrogen). It is a group-14 hydride and the simplest alkane, and is the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Earth makes it an economically attractive fuel, although capturing and storing it poses technical challenges due to its gaseous state under normal conditions for temperature and pressure.
Naturally occurring methane is found both below ground and under the seafloor, and is formed by both geological and biological processes. The largest reservoir of methane is under the seafloor in the form of methane clathrates. When methane reaches the surface and the atmosphere, it is known as atmospheric methane. The Earth's atmospheric methane concentration has increased by about 150% since 1750, and it accounts for 20% of the total radiative forcing from all of the long-lived and globally mixed greenhouse gases. Methane has also been detected on other planets, including Mars, which has implications for astrobiology research.

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  1. C

    Methane global warming potential

    I understand that CH4 absorbs more long-wave radiation, on a molecule-per-molecule basis, than CO2. I also understand that "four indirect radiative effects of CH4 emissions have been identified (see Prather et al., 2001; Ramaswamy et al., 2001). Methane enhances its own lifetime through changes...
  2. P

    Medical Catabolic processes responsible for producing methane and fart gases?

    I apologize for the "coarse" question, but as a budding chemist, I want to know. Obviously some foods make people/animals fart more when those foods are consumed. What are the catabolic pathways which produce these waste gases? Do we know what the breakdown mechanisms are? My preliminary...
  3. A

    Finding the Volume of Methane at the Given Conditions

    Long title, I know! :-p Homework Statement The heat of combustion of methane (\text{CH}_4) is 890.4 \ \text{kJ/mol} and the heat of capacity of \text{H}_2\text{O} is 75.2 \ \text{J}/\text{mol}\cdot\text{K} and that the heat capacity of \text{H}_2\text{O} is 37.7 \...
  4. S

    Converting Methane to Methanol with Photochemical Reactor

    Methane to Methanol Methane to Methanol 2 Hello everyone. In the link above is a pdf from the Department of Energy detailing how they created methanol our of water using a photochemical reactor. Im not sure if I am asking the correct people (you people) but I was wondering if you...
  5. D

    Potential life in Earth's methane lakes

    There has been some discussion about whether the methane lakes on Titan could harbor life. What I haven't seen discussed is the potential for life in Earth's methane lakes. There are many underground reservoir's on Earth that contain light hydrocarbons such as methane. If I'm not mistaken...
  6. J

    PARTIAL oxidation of methane as energy source

    Methane from natural gas could be a great source of energy (eg. in thermoelectric plants), but the need to curb CO2 emissions stands in the way. I wonder whether one could get useful energy from some partial combustion reaction of CH4, that yields H2O plus some carbon-containing solid that...
  7. H

    Methane Combustion and Chemical Equilibrium

    This may belong in the Chemistry section but this is a problem from my Thermodynamics class, so I'll post it here and then move to the Chem section if need be. Homework Statement Methane (CH4) is the principal constituent of natural gas and is often used to represent natural gas. Consider...
  8. S

    Is it possible to convert methane to carbon dioxide without combustion?

    I would like to convert methane to carbon dioxide without using combustion. The aim is to generate as little heat through the process as possible. Any ideas how this might be achieved would be appreciated. Cheers
  9. J

    Can Arctic Methane Be Exploited to Mitigate Climate Change?

    I'm not sure if this is the best topical forum to put this question or not, but it seemed the most likely of the forums on pf.com. Anyhow, sorry if this is not in the right place. I've been hearing over the last year or two that climate scientists are very worried about very large releases of...
  10. P

    In regards to making methane (CH4)

    This is my first of hopefully not too many naft questions. It is I suppose a pretty straight forward question. Which implies that a straight forward answer is available. I'm pretty much unsure how to ask Google my question. In regards to methane (CH4) based on that info...and...
  11. davidfur

    Questions about the Hartree Fock Method and Methane Molecules

    Hey all ! I've got a few questions regarding the Hartree Fock method which I'm not so sure about... Will HF result in a good estimate of the interaction energy between two Methane molecules ? and what about the structure and symmetry of Methane molecule ? (I know that as far as structure is...
  12. R

    Creating Methane: The Process of Combining Hydrogen and Carbon

    If you were given pure hydrogen and pure carbon what would you have to do to make methane? Heat and pressure?
  13. M

    Confused About Isotherms: Graph of Methane Volume vs Pressure

    I have a basic question on my prelab. The professor wants us to make a graph of of a experiment where the volume of methane gas was measured at various pressures. The temperature is held constant. She gives us data for this experiment and wants us to make a graph for it as practice. I can dot...
  14. C

    Methane in natural gas burns completely in oxygen

    Homework Statement The methane in natural gas burns completely in oxygen according to the reaction equation: CH4 +__O2 → __CO2 + __H2O Homework Equations a) Complete the reaction equation by filling in the missing coefficients for oxygen, carbon dioxide and water. b) How many kilograms...
  15. M

    Gyver: Quick-n-Dirty Synthetic Methane from Hydrogen

    Does anyone have a quick and dirty method to make methane from pure hydrogen? Background: I am new here, but a regular at TheBackshed.com, where most of us design and build wind turbines and alternators. When a 'windmill' generates more electricity than its system can handle, the overage is...
  16. P

    Could Pluto support an atmosphere of methane?

    Homework Statement Pluto is believed to have a radius of 1500 km, a mass of 1.5x10^22 kg, and a surface temperature of 55 K. Could Pluto support an atmosphere of methane, CH4? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution First some information: The problem is from a book...
  17. T

    Methane gas and activated carbon

    Homework Statement I want to know if methane gas (CH4) is able to pass through activated carbon and not get trapped. If it can how does it pass and why does it passes. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution
  18. G

    Calculate Methane Volume from Pressure, Temp & Density?

    Homework Statement Can I calculate the volume of Methane if I have the pressure, Temperature and the density?, this is required to calculate the number of moles (n) for Methane, which is given by n = total gas weight / molecular weight, I can not get the total gas weight unless I calculate...
  19. C

    Enthalpies of Formation from Methane & Oxygen

    Homework Statement Enthalpies of Formation. burning methane in oxygen can produce three different carbon-containing products: soot (very fine particles of graphite), CO2 (g), and CO2 (g). A) Write three balanced equations for the reaction of methane gas with oxygen to produce these three...
  20. A

    G of CO2 per kWh from burning methane

    http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/6638" has a chart that claims that the burning of methane yields 360 g of CO2 per kWh of energy released. I decided to check that, but I'm not getting the same answer they suggest. Here's what I did: CH4 + 2O2 = 2H2O + CO2 -74.87 + 0= 2*-285.83 + -393.509...
  21. R

    Could a nuke ignite sub-surface methane?

    I'm not sure if this is the right spot for this question...if not could the mods move it please? If a nuke was used on the BP leak, would there be a chance that it could ignite the methane? I know there's lots of variables and factors but, if it was possible to ignite it, what's the chance...
  22. P

    Thermal Physics - Methane Fuel Cell

    I think I got a and b, the rest I did my best on, and I could use some guidance! Thanks!Homework Statement 1. [6] Methane (Natural Gas) Fuel Cell. Consider a fuel cell that uses methane as fuel. The chemical reaction is CH4 + 2O2 = 2H2O + CO2 + energy (a) [0.5] Measurements reveal that...
  23. S

    Exploring Methane Ice and the Possibility of Life on Saturn's Moon Titan

    Hello! I am an undergrad at the University of Calgary. Lately I have been reading about Saturn's satellite Titan and all of the new data from the Cassini orbiter and the Huygens probe. Ever since 6th grade when I did a school project on Titan it has been blasting my mind. A moon with an...
  24. Andre

    Methane Mystery: Solving Northern Hemisphere's Warming Puzzle

    I have been searching internet for a legitimate source for this graph (I made one like that myself orginally): But this one was found by Skyhunter, so there can be little doubt about it's legimaticy. It shows the comparison of the delta 18O records of the ice cores, which is supposed...
  25. E

    Bond angle in methane? Have been doing for 1 hr

    Bond angle in methane? Have been doing for 1 hr! Homework Statement In the methane molecule, CH4, each hydrogen atom is at a corner of a regular tetrahedron with the carbon atom at the center. In coordinates where one of the C-H bonds is in the direction of i + j + k, an adjacent C-H bond is...
  26. T

    Methane gas deflagration temperatures

    The power plant I work at has four 170Mw combustion turbines that are supplied with 500 psig natural gas. Periodically the fuel gas pipeline and its associated heat exchangers and filter vessels need to be depressurized for maintenance purposes. Until I intervened recently, a large volume of...
  27. P

    How Can Methane Be Used as a Viable Fuel Source for Transportation?

    I'm working really hard (within my limited knowledge) to figure out the details of using methane as a fuel source. I found https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=224486" and would love to have responded there, but the thread was locked (due to age?). Presently gasoline accounts for...
  28. F

    How can manure be turned into energy?

    Hi I heard that it was possibel to extract methane from manure, so you could produce energy/power. I understand that ATZ and TVA (some german companies?) are making this, but I am wondering how the process works. Anyone who can tell me? /Fumle
  29. B

    Searching for Joule Thomson and Thermal Expansion Coefficients of Methane

    I've been scouring the web in search of a Joule Thomson coefficient value for methane, but so far no luck. I have the volume, temperature, and specific heat as well... so I could also use the coefficient of thermal expansion for methane.. but I can't find that anywhere either! Does anyone...
  30. jim mcnamara

    What is the source of methane on Mars?

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/news/marsmethane.html NASA reports evidence of methane in the Martian atmosphere. There are several ways to explain the methane - Methane trapped in pockets in the bedrock being released Methane being created at greater depths by geochemical...
  31. Ivan Seeking

    Mars methane discovery hints at presence of life

    I hated to let this one go without a post. There is already a post in Astronomy linking to the video. https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=2035686#post2035686...
  32. K

    Producing required energy from Combusting Methane

    Homework Statement How much methane, CH4 is must be burned to produce 6.38x10^6j of energy Homework Equations CH4 + 3O2 --> CO2 + 2H2O The Attempt at a Solution This is actually the second part of a pretty long multi part question. I couldn't find out how to figure out the...
  33. Andre

    Mysterious Increase in Methane Levels Baffles Scientists

    http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/content-view-39973-113.html Also notice the stubborn misunderstanding: Run http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~archer/cgimodels/radiation.html with the basic inputs to get an output radiation of 287.844 W/m2. Now put zero in the CO2 box to get 318.396 W/m2, then...
  34. K

    Specific Heat of CO2 and Methane Combustion

    Hi, Could you please confirm these estimations for me: Knowing that the Energy of Combustion of CH4 is 50.1 KJ/Kg, and that the specific heat for the CO2 at 273.15 K is approximately 0.81 KJ/Kg*K; please, could you confirm that in order to increase the temperature of 1 liter of gas of CO2...
  35. K

    Calculating Average C-H Bond Energy in Methane

    Homework Statement by means of a balanced equation, including state symbols, illustrate the term the average C-H bond energy in methane. The Attempt at a Solution i know what that all the C-H bonds in methane are not the same, and the mean of these bond energies give the average...
  36. S

    Producing Methane from Hydrogen

    Puting aside politics and energy considerations, what is the chemistry of producing Methane from Hydrogen? What catalyst or special equipment would be needed? Thanks
  37. P

    Methane from Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen

    In the 18th century methane was made from carbon dioxide (from the air) and hydrogen (from water) and used as the fuel for the lights of the "Gaslight" era. Seems to me, that if we could take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, add hydrogen and obtain methane, a very clean burning fuel, we...
  38. B

    What Causes Water to Boil and What Bonds Need to Be Broken?

    Homework Statement QUESTION: Methane (CH4) is a gas at room temperature and pressure while water is a liquid. In both molecules hydrogen atoms are bonded to a non-metal element. Water also has a much higher heat of vaporization than methane even though the molecular weights of these two...
  39. wolram

    How much methane can a cornish pasty produce?

    Theoreticaly if all one ate all day was a cornish pasty, how much methane could said pasty produce.
  40. S

    Setting Up a Non Catalytic Reaction beteen air and methane

    Setting Up a Non Catalytic Reaction beteen air and methane! Hello, I'm in a group and we have been given the task of setting up an oxidation reaction between methane and air (different ratios), and seeing what the products are. We know what the products will be, but we don't know how to set up...
  41. L

    Estimating Diffusivity of Freon using known Diffusivity of Methane

    How can I estimate the diffusivity of a compound such as CCl2F2 (freon-12) using the known diffusivity of methane? I would like to estimate it for both air and water. I have a diffusivity value of methane for each medium. Any advice/help is much appreciated.
  42. J

    Reducing Iron Oxide with Methane

    Can iron oxide be reduced to metallic iron with methane in place of hydrogen?
  43. J

    Can Methane Be Used to Create a H2 Fuel Cell?

    could one make a fuel cell that would oxidise methane to release electricity the way that a H2 fuel cell does?
  44. S

    Why the bond angle of methane is 109 instead of 90?

    I know that the sp3 hybrid orbitals form 109 angle, but why the angle is not 90. If the angle is 109 the repulsion is minimized or what? Show some comparations. Thank u.
  45. Mk

    Do Plants Contribute to Methane Emissions?

    http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v439/n7073/abs/nature04420.html [PLAIN]http://www.nature-science.info/news/07042702.htm[/URL]
  46. C

    Can 25 PSI Methane Flow Through a 3/8 Pipe Meet a 392,000 BTU/hr Demand?

    What are the governing equations for compressible fluid flow? Specifically; methane gas inlet pressure of 25 psi through a 3/8" dia. pipe and I need to relate this to a methane flow of 392,000 BTU/ hr @ 55-60psi 59 F and RH 60% (i.e. ISO 2314) through an as yet undetermined diameter pipe...
  47. B

    Methane to methanol / a direct pathway ?

    Dear all ! Does anyone have experience with direct methane conversion to methanol ? I am trying to explore a new pathway avoiding the syn gas step. One can basically think of two approaches: a) chemically via classic catalysts, b) biologically via enzymes or bacteria. Research has been...
  48. zoobyshoe

    Can Methane Releases Explain Mysterious Boat Disappearances?

    I found this story posted by MK in the Earth forum and it seemed to me it provides excellent, documented support for the case made by some people that such methane releases may be responsible for the sudden sinking and, hence, unexplained disappearances of boats, in Bermuda Triangle type...
  49. Mk

    Ice cores suggest methane spike may be caused by plants, not hydrates

    http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-08/osu-sro082106.php
  50. Mk

    Methane clathrate explosion filmed and studied

    http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1482 http://www.bubbleology.com/seeps/Seep_Blowout.html is the video. Pretty cool eh?
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