Question

Combustion of saturated hydrocarbons produces ___ and ___ along with heat and light.

• A. ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$
• B. ${\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}$

Answer 1

1. Combustion is defined as the rapid oxidation/burning of any substance to produce heat and light.
2. Because heat is released during combustion, combustion is an exothermic process.
3. Hydrocarbon combustion produces Carbon dioxide(${\mathrm{CO}}_2$), water (${\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}$), heat, and light.
4. For example, burning of methane is described by the following equation:$$\begin{gathered} {\mathrm{CH}}_4\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+2{\mathrm{O}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)\to {\mathrm{CO}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+2{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)+\mathrm{Heat}+\mathrm{Light} \\ \mathrm{Methane} \end{gathered}$$
5. Therefore, combustion of saturated hydrocarbons produces _${\mathbf{CO}}_{\mathbf{2}}$__ and _${\mathbf{H}}_{\mathbf{2}}\mathbf{O}$__ along with heat and light.