3.4 I can recall the products of complete and incomplete combustion of alkanes

1.       Saturated hydrocarbons are called alkanes

2.       Small chain hydrocarbons are used as fuels

3.       The reaction is called combustion

4.       The word equation for  this chemical reaction is :

fuel (hydrocarbon) + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + ENERGY (heat, light, sound)

5.       If there is insufficient oxygen then the word equation is:

fuel (hydrocarbon) + oxygen → carbon monoxide + water + ENERGY (heat, light, sound)

6.       The problem with this reaction is that carbon monoxide is produced this gas is a poison to the human body (see objective 5.11)

7.       Where can you find incomplete combustion? in car engines

8.       What is used to reduce the harmful products from incomplete combustion? catalytic converter

9.       During incomplete combustion a smoky flame is often seen, explain this observation. solid carbon that has not reacted

Extn: write a balanced equation (with state symbols) for the combustion of propane gas

C₃H₈ + 5O₂ ---> 3CO₂ + 4H₂0