The discovery of butane can be linked to the problems faced by motorists in the early 20th Century. The Propane Gas Association of Canada explains gasoline would evaporate when stored, meaning motorists only used a fraction of the gasoline they bought.Angered by what he saw as being cheated out of a portion of gasoline he had bought, an angry motorist in Pittsburgh approached chemist Dr. Walter Snelling to investigate the disappearing gasoline in 1910, according to the Pennington Gas Service.Dr. Snelling began researching the evaporating gasoline in 1910 and, according to the Pennington Gas Service, quickly discovered the disappearing gases were propane, butane and other hydrocarbons.

Isolation

According to the Pennington Gas Service, Dr. Snelling began working with the U.S. Bureau of Mining to continue his research. In 1911, butane and propane were isolated in gasoline, and a system of turning butane to liquid for storage was developed.

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