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How methane burns
Age 13 · Chemistry
When methane burns, its atoms break apart from their partners and join up with oxygen in new ways. CH4 + 2 O2 gives CO2 + 2 H2O, and you end up with exactly the same atoms you started with: 1 carbon, 4 hydrogen and 4 oxygen.
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Age 13: open this week
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In the picture
- Methane, CH4: one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms
- Oxygen, O2: two molecules of two joined oxygen atoms, which supply 4 oxygen atoms
- Carbon dioxide, CO2: the carbon atom now bonded to two oxygen atoms
- Water, 2 H2O: the four hydrogen atoms now shared between two water molecules, each with one oxygen
Examples
- The blue flame of a gas cooker burning natural gas
- A gas boiler heating water for a house
Key takeaways
- In a chemical reaction, atoms are rearranged, never created or destroyed
- Burning methane makes carbon dioxide and water and releases heat
Quiz: How methane burns (Age 13)
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When methane burns, what happens to its atoms?
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Which substances are made when methane burns?
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After methane burns, where do its four hydrogen atoms end up?
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