*All credit goes to Richard Thornley as these notes are based on his videos*

10.2 Combustion of Alkanes

Quick Recap
Recall that the a lkanes are a homologous series. They are distinguished by their single,
straight chain, carbon-carbon bonds. They have the general formula: C nH

2n+2 . Where

n is the

number of carbons.
Complete Combustion
This type of combustion occurs when there is a sufficient amount of oxygen reacting with
the alkane. An example can be seen below of the combustion of methane CH4.

Carbon dioxide and water are made in complete combustion. The general formula for the
complete combustion of an alkane is:
C xH

y
y(g) + (x + 4 )O 2(g)

xCO 2(g) + ( 2y )H 2O

Incomplete Combustion

In incomplete combustion, the methane burns with slightly less oxygen to produce
carbon monoxide a colorless, odorless, gas that is asphyxiating meaning that having too much of
that can cause your blood to shut down and stop transporting oxygen. It harms the environment
and causes pollution. Spooky stuff.

Notice how when the equation is balanced, the same amount of water was produced but a
lesser amount of oxygen is used.