methane

History

Methane was first identified by the Italian scientist Alessandro Volta in 1776. He collected gas from the bottom of Lake Maggiore and ignited it, proving it was a combustible substance.

How it works

The greenhouse effect of methane is like a down duvet: sunlight easily penetrates through it to the Earth, but the planet’s thermal radiation gets trapped because methane molecules vibrate and absorb infrared rays, like a stretched spring resonating at a certain frequency.

History

Methane was first identified by the Italian scientist Alessandro Volta in 1776. He collected gas from the bottom of Lake Maggiore and ignited it, proving it was a combustible substance.

How it works

The greenhouse effect of methane is like a down duvet: sunlight easily penetrates through it to the Earth, but the planet’s thermal radiation gets trapped because methane molecules vibrate and absorb infrared rays, like a stretched spring resonating at a certain frequency.

History

The history of methane begins with alchemical observations of 'flammable air' in swamps. In 1776, Alessandro Volta scientifically described it, isolating it from bottom sediments. In the 19th century, Michael Faraday liquefied methane, and John Tyndall in 1859 proved its greenhouse properties. The modern era is associated with the study of methane hydrates on the ocean floor and its role in the climate system.

How it works

Methane traps heat through vibrational-rotational transitions: its molecule has several normal modes (symmetric and asymmetric C-H stretching, H-C-H bending vibrations) that actively absorb infrared radiation at wavelengths of about 3.3 μm and 7.7 μm. In the atmosphere, it is oxidized by hydroxyl radicals (OH•) over ~9 years, turning into CO₂ and water vapor. According to Planck’s radiation law, the absorption intensity depends on temperature, and the Doppler effect broadens spectral lines in a turbulent atmosphere.

Open problems & fun facts

Predicting methane emissions from thawing permafrost bogs and destabilization of marine hydrates under warming conditions; Developing cost-effective catalysts for direct decomposition of methane into hydrogen and carbon (turquoise hydrogen)

💡 Termites are champions of methane production: every year they emit nearly 20 million tons across the planet, building their methane-factory towers.