Propane

<p>Propane  is a three-<a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbon</a> chain <a href="/facts/Alkane/Qam7Hvmf">alkane</a> with the molecular formula C3H8. It is a gas at <a href="/facts/Standard_temperature_and_pressure/JhJv9KFJ">standard temperature and pressure</a>, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A <a href="/facts/By-product/qDosnqoD">by-product</a> of <a href="/facts/Natural_gas/9MYQ7NAP">natural gas</a> processing and <a href="/facts/Petroleum/IQV0bHVd">petroleum</a> refining, it is often a constituent of <a href="/facts/Liquefied_petroleum_gas/bw6trakm">liquefied petroleum gas</a> (LPG), which is commonly used as a <a href="/facts/Fuel/H8DIRL1j">fuel</a> in domestic and industrial applications and in low-emissions public transportation; other constituents of LPG may include <a href="/facts/Propene/5eLDmPvm">propylene</a>, <a href="/facts/Butane/InIHpYlY">butane</a>, <a href="/facts/Butene/6JdB9n0U">butylene</a>, <a href="/facts/Butadiene/j9W2LxGv">butadiene</a>, and <a href="/facts/Isobutylene/Bl5REcDx">isobutylene</a>. Discovered in 1857 by the French chemist <a href="/facts/Marcellin_Berthelot/TaeR6uXD">Marcellin Berthelot</a>, it became commercially available in the US by 1911.  Propane has lower volumetric energy density than gasoline or coal, but has higher gravimetric energy density than them and burns more cleanly.
</p><p>Propane gas has become a popular choice for barbecues and portable stoves because its low −42 °C <a href="/facts/Boiling_point/E2BK9QoS">boiling point</a> makes it vaporise inside pressurised liquid containers (it exists in two phases, vapor above liquid). It retains its ability to vaporise even in cold weather, making it better-suited for outdoor use in cold climates than alternatives with higher boiling points like butane. LPG powers buses, forklifts, automobiles, outboard boat motors, and <a href="/facts/Ice_resurfacer/Rdhe3ocm">ice resurfacing machines</a>, and is used for heat and cooking in <a href="/facts/Recreational_vehicle/8VHhzPRl">recreational vehicles</a> and <a href="/facts/Campervan/UlNWzUu3">campers</a>. Propane is becoming popular as a replacement refrigerant (R290) for heatpumps also as it offers greater efficiency than the current refrigerants: R410A / R32, higher temperature heat output and less damage to the atmosphere for escaped gasses—at the expense of high gas flammability.
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Propane open-in-new

Propane