What is the difference between a complete and incomplete combustion reaction?

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What is the difference between a complete and incomplete combustion reaction?

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Answer 1 · 2015-11-07T18:19:43

Typically complete and incomplete combustion relates to the combustion of hydrocarbons. Here, complete combustion indicates that carbon dioxide is the sole oxidation product; incomplete combustion means otherwise.

Explanation:

We can take octane as our exemplar:

$C_{8} H_{18} (g) + \frac{25}{2} O_{2} (g) \to 8 C O_{2} (g) + 9 H_{2} O (g)$ $C_8H_18(g) + 25/2O_2(g) rarr 8CO_2(g) + 9H_2O(g)$

Is the above equation balanced? Don't trust my arithmetic! Here, all the hydrocarbon reactant ends up as carbon dioxide product; the carbon in the hydrocarbon is completely combusted to $C O_{2}$ $CO_2$ . Under the conditions of a ICE or diesel fuel engine, combustion would be incomplete, and some products of incomplete combustion, $C O$ $CO$ , or particulate $C$ $C$ , would result. I can represent this by the following reaction:

$C_{8} H_{18} (g) + 11 O_{2} (g) \to 6 C O_{2} (g) + C O (g) + C (s) + 9 H_{2} O (g)$ $C_8H_18(g) + 11O_2(g)rarr 6CO_2(g) + CO(g) + C(s) + 9H_2O(g)$

Again, is this balanced? Why or why not? Of course the products would have to be analyzed in order to see the effectiveness of combustion; this is simply a representation.

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What is the difference between a complete and incomplete combustion reaction?

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