Introduction of Butane
Butane is a hydrocarbon with molecular formula C4H10. It is an alkane and found in gaseous state at room temperature. It was discovered by British Chemist Edward Frankland in 1849. Although its various properties were described by Edmund Ronalds who was an English Industrial chemist. He found butane in the crude petroleum and studied its properties.
In other words, we can define butane as a member of the paraffin hydrocarbon series (or alkane series) which has 4 carbon atoms and 10 hydrogen atoms. Butane is a saturated hydrocarbon as single bonds are found between all carbon atoms of butane.
Butane Structure
As we have discussed, the molecular formula of butane is C4H10. Its IUPAC name is butane. In the word butane, prefix ‘But’ stands for 4 carbon atoms present in butane and suffix ‘ane’ comes from the alkane series which represent that butane belongs from alkane homologous series and is saturated in nature. Butane can be easily represented by the general formula of alkanes which is CnH2n+2 where n = any positive integer or number of carbon atoms. For butane n = 4, on putting the value of ‘n’ in the general formula C4H2.4+2 = C4H10. Thus, butane is a saturated hydrocarbon (single bond between carbon atoms) with four carbon atoms and ten hydrogen atoms. Therefore, its structure will be as follows –
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Butane or n-butane has a linear chain structure and covalent bonds between C – C and C – H. Each carbon atom has 4 sigma bonds. So, each carbon atom is sp3 hybridized and has a tetrahedral shape.
Properties of Butane
Various physical properties of butane are listed below –
Its molecular formula is C4H10 and empirical formula is C2H5.
Boiling point of butane is -1 to 1℃.
It is highly flammable.
It is gas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.
It is a colorless gas.
It has an odor like gasoline.
It can be easily liquified and liquified butane gas can be easily converted into vapor at room temperature.
Molar mass of butane is 58.124g/mol.
Its density is 2.48kg/m3 at 15℃.
It is very less soluble in water. Its solubility in water is 61mg per liter at 68℉.
Chemical Properties of Butane
Few chemical properties of butane are listed below
Reaction with oxygen – Butane reacts with oxygen and forms carbon dioxide and water vapor. Reaction is given below -
2C4H10 + 13O2 🡪 8CO2 + 10H2O + Energy
If the amount of oxygen is limited, then it forms carbon monoxide and water vapor. Reaction is given below –
2C4H10 + 13O2 🡪 8CO2 + 10H2O
Reaction with chlorine – Butane reacts with chlorine and forms butyl chloride and HCl. Reaction is given below –
2C4H10 + Cl2 🡪 C4H9Cl + HCl
Reaction with iodine – Butane reacts with iodine and forms 2-iodobutane and hydrogen iodide. Reaction is given below –
2C4H10 + I2 🡪 C4H9I + HI
Production of Butane
Butane is a fossil fuel produced naturally by dead remains of the plants and animals deep inside the earth. It is found as natural gas deep inside the earth. We obtain butane by fractional distillation of crude oil. During this process we get many other products as well such as kerosene, diesel, heavy gas oil etc.
Fractional distillation is the process of separating various components of a liquid mixture on the basis of their different boiling points using a fractionating column. Fractional distillation of crude oil is also called petroleum refining.
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Uses of Butane
Butane is a fossil fuel and is very useful in many fields. Few of its applications are listed below
It is widely used as a fuel for various purposes.
It is one of the components of LPG (Liquified petroleum gas).
It is used for gasoline blending.
It is a key raw material of synthetic rubber.
Isobutane is used in refineries.
It is used in steam cracking.
It is used in deodorants or aerosol sprays as propellant.
It is used as fuel in cigarette lighters.
Its isomer isobutane is used in refrigerants.
It is used in air conditioning systems as well.
It is used as fuel in a butane torch as well.
It is used as fuel in camping stoves, barbecues etc. Although transportation of butane must be done very carefully.
Butane is not a greenhouse gas and does not produce smoke on burning. It does not affect the ozone layer of the atmosphere as well. Therefore, we can say, butane is an environmentally friendly gas or fuel.
Disadvantages of Butane: Is Butane Toxic to Humans?
As we discussed earlier, butane has numerous applications and makes our life easier. But it has some disadvantages as well. Although the toxicity of butane is very low, and its low or medium concentrations of butane exposure does not give any harmful effects. But exposure to its large concentrations can cause cardiac effects, cancer or central nervous system depression. Euphoria, drowsiness, unconsciousness, asphyxia etc. can be caused if you inhale butane. It may cause temporary memory loss, fluctuations in blood pressure or death. If it enters in the blood, then within seconds it causes intoxication. Burning of butane in a limited amount of oxygen forms carbon monoxide and prolonged inhalation of carbon monoxide may cause death. Contact of liquefied butane gas may cause permanent eye damage. It may cause itching of skin or numbness as well.
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FAQs on Butane
1. Define cyclobutane. What are the differences between butane and cyclobutane?
Cyclobutane is an organic compound that is a cycloalkane and has chemical formula (CH₂)₄. It is colourless and available in a liquid state for commercial use. Cyclobutane further derivatives as well.
Below are the points that explain the difference between butane and cyclobutane :
Butane is an alkane compound with a chemical formula equal to C4H10. On the other hand, cyclobutane is an alkane compound with the chemical formula C4H8.
The structure of butane is aliphatic whereas cyclobutane has a cyclic structure.
Butane has linear conformation whereas cyclobutane has pucker shaped confirmation.
In butane, synthesis takes place through the refining of natural gas. In cyclobutane, dehalogenation with reducing metal leads to conversion of 1,4 halobutane into cyclobutane takes place.
Butane is used in various fields like fuels in vehicles, aerosol propellant, filing in the cigarette lighter etc.
2. What are the different isomers of butane? Also, list down its points of difference from butane.
There are 2 isomers of butane - n-butane and isobutane. Students have learned about the topic cyclobutane in the frequently asked question. Further, points of difference between butane and isobutane are :
Butane is a type of hydrocarbon which occurs in various forms called 'isomers' whereas a structural isomer of butane is isobutane.
Butane is generally a combination of linear structures and branched structures. Isobutane is mainly a branched structure.
The boiling point of butane is around 1° C. On the other hand, the boiling point of isobutane is approx. -11° Celcius.
Butane is a stingy and gasoline-like odour substance whereas isobutane is odourless.
Butane has a sulfur-like taste. But, isobutane is tasteless.
3. Differentiate between Butane and butene.
Following are the points of difference between butane and butene :
Both of these substances are organic compounds. Butane has the chemical formula C4H10 and butene has the chemical formula C4H8.
The molar mass of butane is approx. 58.12 g/mol whereas butene has a molar mass value of around 56.01 g/mol.
The number of hydrogen atoms differs in these compounds. The number of hydrogen atoms per molecule in butane is 10 but in butene, there are 8 hydrogen atoms in 1 molecule.
Butane and butene also differ in terms of saturation. Butane has a saturated chemical composition whereas butene is unsaturated in nature.
Between 2 carbon atoms, butane carries only a single bond between atoms. In the case of butene, there is a double bond present between 2 carbon atoms.
Butane belongs to the 'alkane' category whereas butene belongs to the 'alkene' category.
Butane has 2 structural isomers whereas butene has 4 structural isomers. Isomers of butane: n-butane and isobutane. butene isomers : 1-butene, trans-2-butene, cis-2-butene and isobutylene.
Butane is inert in nature (due to a single bond between carbon atoms) whereas butene is reactive (due to a double bond between carbon atoms).
Butane is useful in the manufacturing process of synthetic rubber, providing energy in the form of fuel gas, fragrance extraction solution, and gasoline blending. Butene is used in processes of polymer production, in synthetic rubber factories for the production of rubber and production of HDPE and LLDPE etc.
4. What are Constitutional Isomers of Butane?
The compounds having the same molecular formula but having different structural formulas are commonly called constitutional isomers. Also, these isomers are variously connected atoms in a molecule. We have to count the number of atoms in each molecule, so as to determine if the two molecules are constitutional isomers of each other or not. For both the molecules of constitutional isomers, the molecular formula must be the same and the structural formula should be different.
5. What are Conformational Isomers of Butane and Staggered Conformation of Butane?
Conformational Isomers of Butane:
Due to the presence of C-C bonding, Alkanes show conformational isomerism. Taking the example of rotating a butane molecule (at the C-C bond axis), we get the anti butane conformational isomers as the result. In another case, rotating the eclipse by 180-degree results in the formation of an anti- conformer. This form of configuration is more stable than the eclipse confirmation (due to less steric hindrance).
Staggered Conformation of Butane :
The study related to conformers majorly involves the arrangement of atoms or groups(with respect to the central atom).
Fisher projection, Newman projection and Saw-horse are the ways to represent conformers.
If the atom and bonds are viewed along the axis of rotation, this type of molecular representation is known as Newman’s projection.
In eclipsed conformation, H atoms of C-1 line up with C-2's H-atoms.
Also, there are two subtypes of staggered conformations: anti-form and gauche or skew conformation.
For learning these types of staggered conformations in detail, access to Vedantu's free course. It provides PDF and study material to make learning more interesting for the students.