Combustion reactions Flashcards
What does combustion refer to?
The burning of fuel
How many components are required for combustion?
3
What are the 3 components required for combustion collectively referred to as?
The fire triangle
What are the 3 components required for combustion and what does each part do?
A fuel: A chemical which can be burnt for the release of high amounts of thermal energy.
Oxygen: What the fuel reacts with.
Heat: The energy required for the combustion reaction to begin.
What does a combustion reaction produce?
Carbon-based byproducts and water. The byproducts differ based on the fuel being burnt and the amount of oxygen present. This is summarised in the following in the following word equation:
Fuel + Oxygen Gas ~> Carbon dioxide + Water
How does the concentration of oxygen affect how the combustion reaction occurs?
If there is no oxygen present, a combustion reaction cannot occur. This can be seen when you lit a match in a sealed container - the match will eventually go out because it will have used up all of the oxygen.
Complete reaction:
Fuel + Oxygen Gas ~> Carbon dioxide + Water
What happens if there is low oxygen?
Combustion will still occur, but there is not enough for the complete reaction to occur, so different byproducts are produced. Water is still a products, but instead of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and carbon soot are produced.
Incomplete reaction:
Fuel + Oxygen Gas ~> Carbon monoxide + Carbon soot + Water
What are some applications of combustion in our life?
- Cooking and heating by using natural gas
- Burning candles
- Lighters
- Cars and vehicles which run on petrol and fuels
- Burning of coal to produce electricity
- Fireworks
Wat are some downsides to combustion reactions used by motor vehicles?
- Carbon dioxide is causing global warming, environmental acidification and is involved with trapping heat in the atmosphere.
- Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas which reduces the amount of oxygen that can be carried by the blood. This can cause dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness, and death.
- Soot is also toxic and has a variety of health impacts, such as respiratory and cardiovascular issues and is associated with cancer.
What is the oldest farming method practiced?
Firestick farming
What does firestick farming involve?
Burning of forests and grasslands at specific times of the year that produces a cooler fire. This helps to regenerate the land, increase the biodiversity and prevent large scale destructive bushfires from occurring.
What is needed for a combustion reaction?
Fuel + Oxygen gas = Carbon dioxide + Water vapour
