methane - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From methyl +‎ -ane.[1]

methane (countable and uncountable, plural methanes)

  1. (organic chemistry, uncountable) The simplest aliphatic hydrocarbon, CH₄, being a constituent of natural gas, and one of the most abundant greenhouse gases.
    Synonyms: (appears in some chemistry literature) methyl hydride, (rare, systematic name) carbon tetrahydride
    Hypernym: greenhouse gas
    Cattle emit a large amount of methane.
    • 2020 April 7, John Fialka, “As CO2 Emissions Drop During Pandemic, Methane May Rise”, in Scientific American‎[1]:
      Methane, an invisible, odorless gas that makes up more than 95% of natural gas fuel, can be as much as 80 times more potent as a global warmer per given unit than CO2, which is more plentiful in the atmosphere. While there are less emissions than CO2, methane lasts around 12 years, while CO2 lingers for centuries.
  2. (organic chemistry, countable) Any of very many derivatives of methane.

the compound CH4

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “methane”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.