DIfferent Amounts of Oxygen in Combustion?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the effects of varying oxygen supply on combustion reactions, specifically focusing on butane. Participants explore the implications of limited, short, and abundant oxygen supplies in combustion processes, seeking to understand how these conditions affect the balanced chemical equations and the products formed.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks clarification on the differences in combustion reactions under varying oxygen supplies, specifically asking for explanations rather than direct answers.
  • Another participant questions the definition of "very short supply" and suggests that the method of mixing butane and oxygen could influence the combustion process.
  • A participant infers that "short" and "limited" imply less than the stoichiometric amount of oxygen needed for complete combustion, noting that balanced equations for such scenarios require more data.
  • One participant provides a resource for calculating combustion products at different equivalence ratios, indicating the complexity of non-stoichiometric combustion.
  • A later reply mentions that incomplete combustion can produce carbon monoxide (CO) instead of carbon dioxide (CO2), highlighting a potential hazard.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying interpretations of the terms "short," "limited," and "abundant" regarding oxygen supply, indicating a lack of consensus on these definitions and their implications for combustion reactions.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects uncertainty regarding the definitions of oxygen supply categories and their significance in combustion equations, as well as the potential for multiple interpretations of the original question.

JDK
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Hello,

I know I should have knowledge of this, but I can't seem to remember very well what happens in combustion reactions with a very short supply, limited supply, and abundant supply of oxygen. What is the difference? I know complete combustion hands down, but what happens in a problem such as this...

(Write a balanced equation to represent the following)
a) Combustion of butane in a very short supply of oxygen


[?] Thanks so much! I don't need answers really, just an explanation of the three categorizations and their significance while writing the equations.
 
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How "short" is a "very short supply?" How is the combustion process conducted? add butane incrementally to the limited oxygen? oxygen incrementally to the butane? mix and ignite?
 
That it does not specify. Sorry. I'm in Chem 20 and currently completing the Unit on Organic Halides and Hydrocarbon Reactions. What I posted is what the question completely is. I'm thinking, since I'm just beginning to learn organic chemistry, that the most simple assumption would be the correct one for the Q.
 
My inferrence from "short" and "limited" is that less than the stoichiometric minimum for complete combustion is available --- that said, there ain't no balanced equations for such combustions without a LOT of additional data.

The "simplest" assumption I can make is that the text for the course is less than carefully written. From that point, all I can suggest to you is that somewhere in the text are comments loosely defining "short, limited, and abundant" in the author's mind, and that the author's assertions regarding the topic are what you are to "regurgitate" as an indication that you have read the material, be it correct, or not.

You have my sympathies, and I'll wish you luck on this, and if you're going to continue in chemistry, be certain to understand that some sources are more useful than others.
 
http://succ.shirazu.ac.ir/~motor/page9t.htm may be of use. It contains a java applet for calculating combustion products at different equivalence ratios. As you can see, non-stoichiometric combustion gets very complex.
 
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You get CO instead of CO2 as a byproduct, which isnt' good.

Nautica
 

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