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How to avoid explosion when there is a leakage of LPG gas and coal gas/town gas? What are the conditions of that happening? The related underlying chemical reactions are hydrogen and butane combustion in oxygen, right? What is the reaction mechanism? We should avoid using any electrical appliances, electric light, electric door bells and smartphone , just anything that could produce sparks and turn off any flames, right? So I should turn off the electrical appliances immediately after noticing a leakage or should I just keep them on?

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Aside of open flame and operating electronic devices, another danger hard to eliminate is static electricity, mostly due synthetic material of clothes, or rubber soles of shoes.

The safest and the most available prevention choice at emergency scenario is intense ventilation. All others are rather hope it would be enough, as it is hard to eliminate or not to forget all possible ignition sources.

Be aware that switching devices off may be more dangerous than keeping them on, as interrupting high voltage AC circuit usually creates sparks, unless this is addressed by parallel capacitors. This is typical for devices transforming AC to low voltage, like most low power electronics.


Coal gas is of little use these days, with major fuel components carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

Much more common is natural gas, based on methane, or LPG, based on butane (typically 80%) and propane.

The oxidant is in all cases aerial oxygen.

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  • $\begingroup$ the chemical element(s)/compound(s) (reactants) involving are hydrogen and oxygen in the case of coal gas and alkane and oxygen in the case of LPG gas, right? $\endgroup$
    – user108315
    Commented Apr 11, 2021 at 14:55
  • $\begingroup$ See the answer update. $\endgroup$
    – Poutnik
    Commented Apr 11, 2021 at 15:04

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