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ESO Y4A · Physics and Chemistry
Chemical change · Chemical reactions of interest

Combustion reactions

The hob in the kitchen, a car engine and a barbecue all do the same thing: they burn a fuel with the oxygen in the air. This everyday reaction has a fixed structure which, once you know it, lets you write and calculate any combustion, from the butane in a gas cylinder to the petrol in a tank.

Before you start, make sure you know: The chemical equation and how to balance it (3rd ESO)
Before you start, make sure you know: Atomic mass and molecular mass (2nd ESO)

What is combustion

When you light a match you notice heat and light straight away, and if you hold a cold glass over the flame you see it quickly mist up with tiny drops of liquid water: what chemical change is taking place between the material that burns and the air around it?

Fire triangle representing the three components needed for combustion: heat, fuel and oxygen. heat fuel oxygen
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In the gas cooker at Lucía's home, butane reacts with oxygen from the air while dinner is heating up. Complete the general scheme of complete combustion with the missing…

In the gas cooker at Lucía's home, butane reacts with oxygen from the air while dinner is heating up. Complete the general scheme of complete combustion with the missing words: "In any complete combustion, a $\dots$ reacts with the $\dots$ in the air to form $\dots$ and $\dots$".

Solve
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Methane ($CH_4$) is the natural gas that reaches many kitchens. Write the equation for its complete combustion (the products are carbon dioxide and water) and balance it.

Methane ($CH_4$) is the natural gas that reaches many kitchens. Write the equation for its complete combustion (the products are carbon dioxide and water) and balance it.

Solve

Writing and balancing the combustion of a hydrocarbon

A natural gas hob (methane, $\text{CH}_4$) and a plumber's blowtorch (propane, $\text{C}_3\text{H}_8$) need very different air supplies so as not to produce smoke or go out: how can we calculate exactly how much oxygen is needed and how much gas is produced by the combustion of each hydrocarbon?

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Propane ($C_3H_8$) is the fuel for many portable heaters and caravans. Write and balance the equation for its complete combustion.

Propane ($C_3H_8$) is the fuel for many portable heaters and caravans. Write and balance the equation for its complete combustion.

Solve
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The butane ($C_4H_{10}$) in orange gas cylinders burns with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water. Write the equation and balance it; you will get a fractional…

The butane ($C_4H_{10}$) in orange gas cylinders burns with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water. Write the equation and balance it; you will get a fractional coefficient for oxygen, which you will need to eliminate by multiplying the entire equation by two.

Solve
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Bioethanol fireplaces burn ethanol ($C_2H_6O$) producing carbon dioxide and water. Write and balance the equation for its complete combustion. Hint: take into account…

Bioethanol fireplaces burn ethanol ($C_2H_6O$) producing carbon dioxide and water. Write and balance the equation for its complete combustion. Hint: take into account that the ethanol molecule itself already contains an oxygen atom.

Solve

Incomplete combustion: when oxygen is lacking

Two gas burners compared: with the air intake open they give a blue flame and complete combustion (CO₂ and H₂O); with the air intake closed they give a yellow flame that gives off sooty smoke and incomplete combustion (CO, C and H₂O). air gas air intake open blue flame complete combustion CO₂ + H₂O gas air intake closed yellow flame sooty smoke incomplete combustion CO + C (soot) + H₂O
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In the laboratory, the flame of a Bunsen burner is blue when the air hole is open, and yellow and luminous when it is closed, as shown in the figure. One of these two…

In the laboratory, the flame of a Bunsen burner is blue when the air hole is open, and yellow and luminous when it is closed, as shown in the figure.

air open blue flame air closed yellow flame

One of these two flames leaves soot on test tubes. State which of the two leaves soot and explain what type of combustion (complete or incomplete) takes place in each case.

Solve
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When a gas heater operates in a poorly ventilated room, the combustion of butane becomes incomplete. Name the two substances that can then form instead of carbon dioxide…

When a gas heater operates in a poorly ventilated room, the combustion of butane becomes incomplete. Name the two substances that can then form instead of carbon dioxide and explain why one of them is particularly dangerous to people in the room.

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A poorly ventilated gas heater burns methane ($CH_4$) with limited oxygen, and instead of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide ($CO$) is formed, along with water. Write and…

A poorly ventilated gas heater burns methane ($CH_4$) with limited oxygen, and instead of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide ($CO$) is formed, along with water. Write and balance the equation for this incomplete combustion of methane.

Solve

Calculating with combustion: moles and masses

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The balanced equation for the combustion of propane is $C_3H_8 + 5\ O_2 \rightarrow 3\ CO_2 + 4\ H_2O$. a) How many oxygen molecules are needed to burn one molecule of…

The balanced equation for the combustion of propane is $C_3H_8 + 5\ O_2 \rightarrow 3\ CO_2 + 4\ H_2O$.

  1. a) How many oxygen molecules are needed to burn one molecule of propane?
  2. b) How many moles of oxygen are required to burn $0,4\ \text{mol}$ of propane?
  3. c) How many moles of carbon dioxide will be formed in that case?
Solve
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Charcoal on a barbecue is almost pure carbon and its complete combustion is $C + O_2 \rightarrow CO_2$. a) How many moles of carbon dioxide are formed when burning…

Charcoal on a barbecue is almost pure carbon and its complete combustion is $C + O_2 \rightarrow CO_2$.

  1. a) How many moles of carbon dioxide are formed when burning $3\ \text{mol}$ of carbon?
  2. b) The molar masses of carbon and carbon dioxide are $12\ \text{g/mol}$ and $44\ \text{g/mol}$, respectively. Calculate how many grams of $CO_2$ are emitted when burning $36\ \text{g}$ of charcoal.
Solve

Fuels and emissions in our lives

Two cars emit the same cloud of 30 kg of CO₂ on a 250 km journey: with one passenger that person is responsible for 30 kg, and with four passengers, 7,5 kg each. 30 kg CO₂ 1 passenger 30 kg per person = same total CO₂ on both journeys 30 kg CO₂ 4 passengers 7,5 kg per person
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A petrol car emits on average $120\ \text{g}$ of $CO_2$ per kilometre and a diesel car, $105\ \text{g}$ per kilometre. a) Calculate the emissions of each vehicle on a…

A petrol car emits on average $120\ \text{g}$ of $CO_2$ per kilometre and a diesel car, $105\ \text{g}$ per kilometre.

  1. a) Calculate the emissions of each vehicle on a journey of $250\ \text{km}$.
  2. b) The petrol car makes that journey with $4$ passengers and the diesel car, on another day, with only the driver. Calculate the emissions per passenger in each case and comment on the result.
Solve
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A camping gas cylinder contains $5,8\ \text{kg}$ of butane ($C_4H_{10}$, molar mass $58\ \text{g/mol}$) and its complete combustion is…

A camping gas cylinder contains $5,8\ \text{kg}$ of butane ($C_4H_{10}$, molar mass $58\ \text{g/mol}$) and its complete combustion is $2\ C_4H_{10} + 13\ O_2 \rightarrow 8\ CO_2 + 10\ H_2O$.

  1. a) Calculate the moles of butane contained in the gas cylinder.
  2. b) Calculate the moles of $CO_2$ that will be emitted when burning it completely.
  3. c) Using the molar mass of $CO_2$, $44\ \text{g/mol}$, calculate the kilograms of $CO_2$ emitted and comment on why these emissions are a concern even if combustion is complete.
Solve

Summary

See all the exercises in this section