Combustion is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species.
The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame. Fuels of interest often include organic compounds (especially hydrocarbons) in the gas, liquid or solid phase.
In a complete combustion reaction, a compound reacts with an oxidizing element, such as oxygen or fluorine, and the products are compounds of each element in the fuel with the oxidizing element. For example:
CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O + energy
CH2S + 6F2 → CF4 + 2HF + SF6
Incomplete combustion occurs when there isn't enough oxygen to allow the fuel to react completely with the oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water, and also when the combustion is quenched by a heat sink such as a solid surface or flame trap.
A simpler example can be seen in the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen, which is a commonly used reaction in rocket engines:
2H2 + O2 → 2H2O(g) + heat
The result is water vapor.
Generally, the chemical equation for stoichiometric burning of hydrocarbon in oxygen is
For example, the burning of propane is
Generally, the chemical equation for stoichiometric incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon in oxygen is as follows:
For example, the incomplete combustion of propane is:
The simple word equation for the combustion of a hydrocarbon in oxygen is:
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