| In the laboratory the normal method of methane preparation is to combine one part sodium acetate and two parts sodium hydroxide. |
| Observers have long known that Titan's atmosphere contains methane, ethane, acetylene and many other hydrocarbon compounds. |
| The gases, especially carbon dioxide and methane, absorb the Earth's heat radiation and thus warm the surface, just as a blanket traps body heat. |
| For example, the alcohol derivative of methane is methanol and of ethane is ethanol. |
| And has anyone calculated the effect of methane vented directly to the atmosphere? |
| In several locations, rivers of mercury flowed from the planet's core, and occasional bursts of exploding methane jetted from the deeper craters. |
