CH4

Science & Engineering abbreviation · Chemistry

CH4
Stands forMethane
CategoriesScience & Engineering

CH4 stands for Methane, a chemistry abbreviation.

Simplest hydrocarbon, one carbon bonded to four hydrogens, and the main component of natural gas. It is also released by wetlands, livestock digestion, landfills and rice paddies, and it is a powerful greenhouse gas, trapping roughly 80 times more heat than CO2 over 20 years.

Example: Satellite data revealed a large CH4 plume above the gas field after a pipeline rupture.

Usage notes

Methane is odorless; the rotten-egg smell of household gas comes from added mercaptans. Its atmospheric concentration has more than doubled since pre-industrial times. Alessandro Volta identified methane in marsh gas from Lake Maggiore in 1776. Over a 100-year horizon its warming effect is roughly 28-30 times that of carbon dioxide.

More chemistry abbreviations

  • ABS – Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
  • Ac – Acetyl group
  • aq – Aqueous
  • BPA – Bisphenol A
  • CAS – Chemical Abstracts Service
  • CFC – Chlorofluorocarbon
  • CO – Carbon monoxide
  • CO2 – Carbon dioxide
  • conc. – Concentrated
  • DCM – Dichloromethane
  • DDT – Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
  • DFT – Density functional theory

See all 106 chemistry abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.