Question

Is natural gas a hydrocarbon?

Answer 1

Hint:Hydrocarbon means the compound mainly has carbon and hydrogen atoms. Natural gas is also known as fossil gas is mainly made up of methane gas. Natural gas comes under the category of fossil fuels.

Complete step-by-step answer:There are many classifications in the compounds for making it easier for the study of the compounds like organic compounds and inorganic compounds. Organic compounds are mainly the study of hydrocarbons, which means the compounds have a large number of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Examples of hydrocarbons are methane, ethane, propanoic acid, ethanol, etc.
Natural gas is also known as fossil gas, but sometimes it is just known as gas is a hydrocarbon gas. The primary ingredient or component of the natural gas is methane whose formula is $C{{H}_{4}}$. In natural gas, there is higher alkane in different amounts but the highest is methane. There are many compounds like carbon dioxide ($C{{O}_{2}}$), nitrogen (${{N}_{2}}$), hydrogen sulfide (${{H}_{2}}S$), etc in small percentages.
Natural gas comes under the category of fossil fuels because it is formed when the layers of decomposition of plants and animals undergo intense heat and pressure. Since it is a fossil fuel, it is a non-renewable hydrocarbon gas. When it is burnt it releases carbon dioxide gas which causes global warming but not to that extent caused by coal.

So, yes natural gas is a hydrocarbon.

Note:The use of natural gas is in many fields like heating, cooking, and electricity generation. It is also used for transportation purposes as fuel in vehicles. In chemistry, it is used for the production of plastics and other organic chemicals.