Propane

A picture to show simply how the atoms may fill space. The atoms are coloured: black is carbon and the white is hydrogen.

Propane is an alkane (a hydrocarbon). An alkane is a molecule composed of the chemical elements hydrogen and carbon. Propane has three carbon atoms and eight hydrogen atoms, so its molecular formula is C₃H₈.

It begins to burn very quickly. Its melting temperature is −187.7 °C; its boiling temperature is −42 °C; its density is 1.83 g/l.

Propane is extracted from natural gasoline or from petroleum.