Gathered around the gas grill, the question sometimes comes up, what's the difference between natural gas and propane, used to fuel many gas grills. The answer is found in our organic chemistry book and is simply a matter of a slight difference in chemical makeup. Methane, as natural gas is most commonly called in its basic form, contains one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. That s where the name hydrocarbon comes from, like all petroleum products.
Propane contains three carbon atoms and eight hydrogen atoms.
Since the chemical makeup of gases varies with the region, the origins of the gas are thought to be different in different parts of the country. In the Appalachian region, the gas is thought to have come from a vegetable origin while in Texas and Oklahoma, the gas is thought to have formed from animal remains. The more nitrogen content, the more likely the gas is to have been derived from animals. Thus the reason for processing, which separates the gases. Some of the helium used for balloons originated at the same underground place as natural gas.