The SCI 301 Puzzler

Propane is a gas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. It is can be stored as a liquid at room temperature under high pressure in a steel tank. It is a standard hydrocarbon fuel used for home stoves, particularly in the Caribbean. (You are undoubtedly familiar with the standard 100 lb tanks loaded on the trucks careening perilously over the roads about the island.)

Butane is also a gas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure and can be stored as a liquid under pressures less than that of propane. Hence, it is more practical for plastic containers such as a lighter.

Pentane, on the other hand, is a liquid at atmospheric pressure if the temperature is below about 35 ^oC. (Pentane is one of the many hydrocarbons in gasoline.) The chemical formulas for each are:

Propane - C₃H₈
Butane - C₄H₁₀
Pentane - C₅H₁₂

Methane, CH₄, is called natural gas. Methane gas occurs naturally deep in the ground, while propane and butane are usually extracted from petroleum. Areas that have access to natural gas use it rather than propane (or butane) because it is cheaper per unit energy. It is taken directly from the ground as a gas and piped to the customers. Propane is used in areas that do not have access to natural gas, such as here in the Caribbean. But methane is not compressed and sold in liquid form. From the information provided above, can you guess why this is so?

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