Butane or n-butane is an alkane with the formula C₄H₁₀. Butane is a highly flammable, colorless, easily liquefied gas that quickly vaporizes at room temperature and pressure. The name butane comes from the root but- and the suffix -ane . It was discovered in crude petroleum in 1864 by Edmund Ronalds, who was the first to describe its properties, and commercialized by Walter O. Snelling in early 1910s. Butane is one of a group of liquefied petroleum gases.