Reserves

• Russia has the largest reserve of 1,680 trillion cubic feet of methane in the world.
  
  

Physical Properties

• Methane is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. Its density is 0.717 kg/m3 and it is lighter than air.
  
  

Chemical Properties

• The combustion of methane is the most important reaction, producing a heat of 890 kJ/mole. It explains the role of methane as a major energy source.
  
  

Warning

• Methane is a flammable gas. Mixtures of methane and air are explosive when the concentration of methane is between five and fifteen percents.
  
  

Considerations

• Methane is a gas that, similar to carbon dioxide, causes the greenhouse effect in atmosphere leading to global warming.