Answer :
Final answer:
The boiling point of natural gas is closest to option (a) -40 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is similar to the boiling point of propane, a component of natural gas.
Explanation:
The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which it changes from a liquid to a gas. For natural gas components like propane and butane, which are hydrocarbons, the boiling points are quite low. The standard boiling point of propane is -41.8°C, which is roughly equivalent to -43.24°F. Therefore, the boiling point of natural gas, or the point at which it changes from a liquid to a gaseous state, would be closest to option (a) -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Natural gas mainly consists of methane, but can also contain other hydrocarbons such as propane and butane. Since propane has a boiling point of -41.8°C and n-butane has a boiling point of -0.2°C, we can infer that natural gas, which is mainly methane, has a boiling point that falls within these ranges under 1 atm of pressure, which corresponds to the normal boiling point. Therefore, the answer to the student's question is option (a) -40 degrees Fahrenheit, which is nearest to the boiling point of propane, given the provided choices.
