What Is Natural Gas?

Natural gas is a shapeless, odorless, colorless, flammable gas. It is non-toxic and lighter than air. The gas chiefly consists of methane (CH4), but also contains other hydrocarbons such as ethane, butane, propane and naphtha.

In its primary form, natural gas can be used for residential heating and cooking, for industrial purposes and as fuel, or it can be converted into electricity at a gas power plant. Unlike other fossil fuels, natural gas is clean burning and emits lower levels of potentially harmful byproducts into the air.
Natural gas is a combustible mixture of hydrocarbon gases. While natural gas is formed primarily of methane, it can also include ethane, propane, butane and pentane.