Which Italian scientist is credited with discovering methane in 1776?

The Italian scientist credited with discovering methane in 1776 was Alessandro Volta.

Volta encountered the gas while investigating bubbles rising from marshes near Angera on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. In November 1776, he collected the “inflammable air” and demonstrated that it could burn. He later studied its behavior, including its connection with decaying organic matter, and isolated the gas more fully by 1778.

The discovery came before the modern name methane was established. Scientists then described gases by properties such as whether they were flammable, and the marsh origin led to the older term “marsh gas.” The name methane was introduced much later, in 1866, by the German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann.

Volta is often remembered primarily for inventing the voltaic pile, an early battery, in 1800. That achievement can cause quiz-takers to overlook his gas research. Earlier writers had reported flammable gases, but Volta is conventionally credited with identifying and systematically investigating methane as a distinct substance.