CH4

• Methane, also marsh gas, gas

composed of carbon and hydrogen
with formula CH4, the first member
of the paraffin or alkane series of
hydrocarbons.
The methane molecule is the simplest
example of how a carbon atom can bond to
four other atoms to form a tetrahedral shape.
• In near-freezing water
500 m (1800 ft) below the
surface of the Gulf of
Mexico, worms teem
around methane ice
deposits. Researchers
announced the discovery
of the worms, the first
living creatures found on
methane ice, in August
1997.
• Greenhouse gasses, most
notably carbon dioxide and
methane, are produced
primarily by the burning of coal
and gasoline, and some
agricultural activities
• Chemical symbols and formulas are
used to describe chemical reactions;
they denote substances having one
set of formulas changing into
substances having another set of
formulas. Consider the chemical
reaction in which methane, or
natural gas (formula CH 4), burns in
oxygen (O2), to form carbon dioxide
(CO2), and water (H2O).
• times the mass of Jupiter and
contains methane at its surface
—a definite sign that it is cooler
than a true star. Methane cannot
survive temperatures much
higher than 725°C (1337°F),
about 1000°C (1832°F) colder
than the surface of the coolest
stars.