methane

/ˌmɛˈθeɪn/

/ˈmiθeɪn/

Other forms: methanes

Methane, a colorless, odorless gas that occurs naturally on Earth, is a component in natural gas. It's also one of the major contributors to climate change.

Methane is highly flammable, and it comprises as much as 90 percent of the natural gas that's commonly used for heating, cooking, and generating electricity. Although the release of methane into the atmosphere is a natural process, too much of it contributes to the greenhouse effect, trapping heat in the atmosphere and warming the planet. Methane was discovered by an Italian scientist in 1776, who collected the gas as it rose from a marsh.

Definitions of methane

1. noun

   a colorless, odorless gas used as a fuel
   types:

   marsh gas

   methane gas produced when vegetation decomposes in water

   type of:

   gas

   a fluid in the gaseous state having neither independent shape nor volume and being able to expand indefinitely

   alkane, alkane series, methane series, paraffin, paraffin series

   a series of non-aromatic saturated hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH(2n+2)