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| Names | |||
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| Preferred IUPAC name
Butane | |||
| Systematic IUPAC name
Tetracarbane (never recommended) | |||
| Other names
Butyl hydride n-butane Quartane | |||
| Identifiers | |||
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3D model (JSmol) |
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| Beilstein Reference | 969129 | ||
| ChEBI | |||
| ChEMBL | |||
| ChemSpider | |||
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.003.136 | ||
| EC Number |
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| E number | E943a (glazing agents, ...) | ||
| Gmelin Reference | 1148 | ||
| KEGG | |||
| MeSH | butane | ||
PubChem CID |
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| RTECS number |
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| UNII | |||
| UN number | 1011 | ||
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |||
| C4H10 | |||
| Molar mass | 58.12 g·mol−1 | ||
| Appearance | Colorless gas | ||
| Odor | Gasoline-like or natural gas-like | ||
| Density | 2.48 kg/m3 (at 15 °C (59 °F)) | ||
| Melting point | −140 to −134 °C; −220 to −209 °F; 133 to 139 K | ||
| Boiling point | −1 to 1 °C; 30 to 34 °F; 272 to 274 K | ||
| 61 mg L−1 (at 20 °C (68 °F)) | |||
| log P | 2.745 | ||
| Vapor pressure | ~170 kPa at 283 K | ||
| kH | 11 nmol Pa−1 kg−1 | ||
| Conjugate acid | Butanium | ||
| -57.4·10−6 cm3/mol | |||
| Thermochemistry | |||
| Std enthalpy of formation ΔfH |
−126.3–−124.9 kJ mol−1 | ||
| Std enthalpy of combustion ΔcH |
−2.8781–−2.8769 MJ mol−1 | ||
| Specific heat capacity, C | 98.49 J K−1 mol−1 | ||
| Hazards | |||
| GHS labelling: | |||
| Danger | |||
| H220 | |||
| P210 | |||
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |||
| Flash point | −60 °C (−76 °F; 213 K) | ||
| 405 °C (761 °F; 678 K) | |||
| Explosive limits | 1.8–8.4% | ||
| NIOSH (US health exposure limits): | |||
PEL (Permissible) |
none | ||
REL (Recommended) |
TWA 800 ppm (1900 mg/m3) | ||
IDLH (Immediate danger) |
N.D. | ||
| Related compounds | |||
Related alkanes |
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Related compounds |
Perfluorobutane | ||
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |||
| Infobox references | |||

Butane is an organic compound with the chemical formula C
4H
10. It is an alkane with four carbon atoms. It is used as a fuel (sometimes with propane) and in aerosol cans.
Butane is usually sold as a mixture of its two isomers, n-butane and isobutane. In IUPAC's official chemical nomenclature, "butane" means n-butane.
Butane is sold in canisters, for cooking and camping. It is also used as fuel in cigarette lighters, and as propellant in aerosol sprays or deodorants. Some kinds of Butane are used in refrigerators.
Butane can be hazardous. Inhalation can lead to death by asphyxiation due to displacement of oxygen in the lungs. Contact with the skin can lead to frostbite. If the gas is mixed with air and ignited, it is prone to explode like many other fuels that are volatile.
Similarly, the retained names 'ethane', 'propane', and 'butane' were never replaced by systematic names 'dicarbane', 'tricarbane', and 'tetracarbane' as recommended for analogues of silane, 'disilane'; phosphane, 'triphosphane'; and sulfane, 'tetrasulfane'.