Final answer:
The correct statement is B) CH4 is a major component of natural gas, H2CO is a greenhouse gas, and CO2 is a product of combustion. Methane (CH4) is a major component of natural gas and a greenhouse gas, it's also a hydrocarbon used as a fuel. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main product of the combustion of hydrocarbons and a major greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is option B: CH4 is a major component of natural gas, H2CO is a greenhouse gas, and CO2 is a product of combustion. All three compounds have distinct characteristics and roles. Methane (CH4) is a hydrocarbon and the simplest one, it is a major component of natural gas and a greenhouse gas. It is produced when bacteria break down organic matter under anaerobic conditions, for example, in the intestines of herbivores and in rice paddies, or in natural gas fields and in landfills. It can also be released from the melting of underwater oceanic clathrates.
Hydrocarbons, like methane, are used as fuels due to the high amount of energy stored in their many covalent bonds, which release when these molecules are oxidized. Methane has a tetrahedral structure due to its one central carbon atom bonded to four different hydrogen atoms.
C12 (Carbon dioxide) is the main product of the combustion of hydrocarbons like gasoline, it is also a major greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere through human activities like burning fossil fuels, deforestation, cement manufacturing, and clearing lands.
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