butanen.
/ˈbjuːteɪn/, U.S. /ˈbjuˌteɪn/ Chemistry.
Either of two isomeric flammable gaseous hydrocarbons of the alkane series, having the general formula C4H10: (a) n-butane, used in bottled form as a fuel for cooking and heating, as a fuel in cigarette lighters, and as a reagent in the petrochemical industry; (b) isobutane, used as a refrigerant, as a propellant in aerosols, and as a reagent in the petrochemical industry.n-butane (CH3CH2CH2CH3), is the substance most commonly referred to as butane (this is its IUPAC designation). The preferred name for isobutane (CH(CH3)3), is now methylpropane.
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the world > matter > chemistry > organic chemistry > hydrocarbons > [noun] > alkanes > straight-chained by number of carbon atoms > four
butane1872
tetrane1893
1872 Proc. Royal Soc. London 1871–2 20 490 This decomposition may occur so low down in the series as in the case of butane.
1875 Jrnl. Chem. Soc. 28 561 The simplest saturated hydrocarbons which afford substitution-products belonging to all the three groups of primary, secondary, and tertiary nitro-compounds, are the two isomeric butanes.
1935 Discovery Dec. 361/1 The allied gas, butane, compressed similarly in cylinders, is now in frequent use for gas-cookers etc.
1949 Our Industry (Anglo-Iranian Oil Co.) (ed. 2) Gloss. 334 Natural gasoline—A low-boiling liquid petroleum product extracted from natural gas. In its ‘wild’ or unstabilised condition it contains fairly high proportions of propane and butanes.
1952 Times 25 Jan. 2/7 For the first time in Britain a town's gas supply has used a mixture of butane and air instead of coal gas.
1993 Daily Mail (Nexis) 7 July 52 It wasn't really a garage, just a house with a placard indicating the availability of butane.
2006 J. M. Hornback Org. Chem. (Internat. Student ed.) ii. 48 Plastic containers of liquid butane are used in cigarette lighters.
Compounds
C1.
butane gas n.
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1884 H. E. Roscoe & C. Schorlemmer Treat. Chem. III. 578 The specific gravity of butane gas is 2.046.
1939 Times 29 July 14/7 The steamer St. Amboise..had as part of her cargo 75 tons of highly inflammable compressed butane gas.
1990 Times Educ. Suppl. 23 Nov. 10/2 New evidence..suggests that a trend away from sniffing glue to inhaling butane gas and aerosol sprays is dramatically raising the risk of death.
2015 Times (Nexis) 11 Dec. 5 The explosion, which took out an entire wall, was caused by a canister of butane gas used to refill cigarette lighters.
C2. attributive, esp. with the senses ‘used to contain butane’, ‘that uses butane as a fuel source’, as butane canister, butane lighter, butane stove, butane torch, etc.
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1918 Jrnl. Soc. Chem. Industry: Trans 37 276/2 The butane flame increased from 2 inches to 6 inches in height, became smoky, and flickered violently towards the end.
1940 Western Constr. News July 250/1 On the butane burner a large percentage of the heat was lost.
1962 J. Kerouac Let. 7 Jan. in Sel. Lett. 1957–69 (1999) 322 I could have a small refrigerator with ice cubes, butane stove, etc. and go there yearly.
1980 A. Tyler Morgan's Passing (1983) x. i. 315 They might have been tossed there by a fractious child..discarded butane tanks, a rust-stained mattress, a collapsed sofa.
1990 M. Harris Hemingway's Suitcase xxxiv. 236 The blue flare of the butane lighter illuminated his face. He snapped the lighter off and drew at the cigarette.
2003 New Yorker 31 Mar. 84/3 Here and there, families were loading refrigerators, butane cannisters, and other belongings onto small flatbed trucks.
2010 Canberra Times 22 Dec. a5 Take out of the cupboard one of those butane torches handy things for creating that perfect caramel on a brulee.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1872