Why are alkanes like methane and butane used as fuels?
Depends on whether you are asking to fit a home work question or really want the truth. For the teacher’s test/assignment, 1-readily available, about 80% of most natural gas is methane, butane is often 2-4%. Butane and to some extent methane is a bi product of oil refining. 2-they are relatively easy to handle, non toxic (well pretty much so), can be piped, compressed and stored or clooled and stored as liquids, easy to control a gas flame etc. 3 they have a high calorific value, ie lots of stored chemical energy. Now if you want the bigger picture answer, 1 because we can access them easily, ie at low cost. And if we don’t have to account for the consequences of using them as fuel (green house gas production), they are cheap to use. (we simply pass the real cost—damage to our environment onto our children and grandchildren, let them pay the price for our cheap energy) 2 because the oil refineries can make an extra profit by selling the bi-products as fuel as well. 3 because each kilow
