Butane vs Propane: what is the difference?
Butane, C4H10, has one more carbon than propane, C3H8, and boils near freezing, so propane stays a usable gas in cold weather and butane does not.
One carbon longer.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Drawn the same way round on the skeleton they share; the amber marks where the two differ.
- The captionfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- What is highlightedfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curatedOne line under each drawing, written from the atoms the amber marks.
- Structural similaritycomputedRDKit Morgan/Tanimoto0.50 of 1, a Morgan fingerprint Tanimoto coefficient. It measures shape, not effect.
Side by side
| Butane | Propane | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 58.12 g/molC4H10 | 44.1 g/molC3H8 |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 0 | 0 |
| Where each turns upEditorial MoleculeFinder food and product lists |
|
|
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Alkanes | Alkanes |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Everyday chemistry | Everyday chemistry |
| Hazard labelReported ECHA, EU CLP Regulation, Safe Work Australia via PubChem | Danger | Danger |
| The supplier-filed hazard label's signal word, not a statement about ordinary use. | ||
Sources and notes
- Molecular weightcomputedPubChemComputed from the structure; the formula is under each weight.
- Hydrogen-bond donorscomputedPubChemThe hydrogens on nitrogen or oxygen that each molecule can lend to a hydrogen bond, counted from its structure.
- Where each turns upfrom sourceMoleculeFinder food and product listsEach amount is an editorial figure from our lists, not a measurement of any one product. Each mark is set by hand on the list, never inferred.
- Familyfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Everyday groupfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA, EU CLP Regulation, Safe Work Australia via PubChem
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- EU CLP Regulationfrom sourceAttributionSource: EUR-Lex, Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, © European Union.
- Safe Work Australiafrom sourceAttributionSource: Safe Work Australia, Hazardous Chemical Information System, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0.
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 7843 (Butane) and 6334 (Propane).
In more detail
Both are alkanes sold as bottled fuel. Propane boils at about minus 42 degrees Celsius and butane at about minus 1, which means propane stays a usable gas in cold weather and butane will not vaporise properly near freezing. That is the whole reason a winter camping stove takes propane and a lighter takes butane. Butane is the heavier at 58.12 against 44.1 and liquefies under gentler pressure, which is why it can be held in a thin clear lighter body while propane needs a steel cylinder. Butane delivers slightly more energy per unit volume as a liquid, and propane more per unit weight.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between Butane and Propane?
- Butane, C4H10, has one more carbon than propane, C3H8, and boils near freezing, so propane stays a usable gas in cold weather and butane does not.
- Is Butane bigger than Propane?
- Butane is the heavier molecule, 58.12 g/mol against 44.1 g/mol for Propane. Butane is C4H10 and Propane is C3H8.
Sources and notes
- The answersfrom sourceMoleculeFinderThe first is the pair's answer line; the others are read off the table above.