Burning Up in Combustion

Captain's Log:

Whew!! It sure is hot in here. I'm burning up...literally. All this combustion releases lots of heat. As soon as I hit my flash point, I'll combust too. Then I'll be off into the atmosphere with some oxygen as Carbon Dioxide, CO2.

The Combustion Process:

Combustion is a process that everyone has experienced. It is used to heat homes, to power automobiles, and even to produce electricity. Combustion is an exothermic reaction between oxygen and a hydrocarbon. Combustion requires a certain amount of heat to begin, but once started the reaction proceeds spontaneously generating water vapor and carbon dioxide along with large amounts of energy in the form of heat and light.

The Combustion Equation:

The General Form:

ACXHY + ((2AX +AY/2)/2)O2 ---> (AX)CO2 + (AY/2)H2O
Where A, X, and Y are the coefficients and subscripts of the hydrocarbon.

Specific Reactions:

Combustion of Methane:
CH4 + 2O2 ---> CO2 + 2H2O
Combustion of Octane:
2C8H18 + 25O2 ---> 16CO2 + 18H2O
Combustion of Benzene:
2C6H6 + 15O2 ---> 12CO2 + 6H2O
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