CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
| Physical Description | Methane is a colorless odorless gas. It is also known as marsh gas or methyl hydride. It is easily ignited. The vapors are lighter than air. Under prolonged exposure to fire or intense heat the containers may rupture violently and rocket. It is used in making other chemicals and as a constituent of the fuel, natural gas. |
|---|---|
| Color/Form | Colorless gas |
| Odor | Odorless |
| Taste | Tasteless |
| Boiling Point | -258 °F at 760 mmHg (USCG, 1999) |
| Melting Point | -296 °F (USCG, 1999) |
| Flash Point | -306 °F (NTP, 1992) |
| Solubility | 3.5 mL/100 mL at 63 °F (NTP, 1992) |
| Density | 0.415 to 0.45 at -259.6 °F (USCG, 1999) |
| Vapor Density | 0.55 (NTP, 1992) - Lighter than air; will rise (Relative to Air) |
| Vapor Pressure | 258574 mmHg at 100 °F ; 760 mmHg at -258.7 °F (NTP, 1992) |
| LogP | log Kow = 1.09 |
| Autoignition Temperature | 999 °F (USCG, 1999) |
| Viscosity | 34.8 uP at -181.6 °C; 76.0 uP at -78.5 °C; 102.6 uP at 0 °C; 108.7 uP at 20 °C; 133.1 uP at 100.0 °C; 160.5 uP at 200.5 °C; 181.3 uP at 284 °C; 202.6 uP at 380 °C; 226.4 uP at 499 °C |
| Heat of Combustion | -890.8 kJ/mol |
| Heat of Vaporization | 8.19 kJ/mol |
| Surface Tension | 14 dynes/cm = 0.014 N/m at -161 °C |
| Kovats Retention Index | 100 |
| Other Experimental Properties | Burns with a pale, faintly luminous flame; air containing more than 14% methane burns without noise |
| Chemical Classes | Toxic Gases & Vapors -> Simple Asphyxiants |
COMPUTED DESCRIPTORS
| Molecular Weight | 16.043 g/mol |
|---|---|
| XLogP3 | 0.6 |
| Hydrogen Bond Donor Count | 0 |
| Hydrogen Bond Acceptor Count | 0 |
| Rotatable Bond Count | 0 |
| Exact Mass | 16.0313001276 g/mol |
| Monoisotopic Mass | 16.0313001276 g/mol |
| Topological Polar Surface Area | 0 Ų |
| Heavy Atom Count | 1 |
| Formal Charge | 0 |
| Complexity | 0 |
| Isotope Atom Count | 0 |
| Defined Atom Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Undefined Atom Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Defined Bond Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Undefined Bond Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Covalently-Bonded Unit Count | 1 |
| Compound Is Canonicalized | Yes |
PRODUCT INTRODUCTION
description
Methane is a colorless odorless gas. It is also known as marsh gas or methyl hydride. It is easily ignited. The vapors are lighter than air. Under prolonged exposure to fire or intense heat the containers may rupture violently and rocket. It is used in making other chemicals and as a constituent of the fuel, natural gas.