What is the importance of the combustion of alkanes and fuels?
Combustion of alkanes produces carbon dioxide and water, both of which are greenhouse gases. Alkanes found in gasoline are primarily 4-12 carbons long and contain only C and H. Natural gas is mainly CH4 that is used for heating homes and in gas hot water heaters. Propane, C3H8, is also used for heating some rural homes. The environmental importance of combustion of alkanes is that it is contributing to global warming. The exact extent is not known.
