Chemical Composition & Combustion of Hydrocarbon Fuel

[Stephanus]

Dear PF Forum,
Actually I've never visited chemistry forum. It's cosmology and SR that interests me.
Tomorrow at Thursday 30th July, 14:00 GMT. I have to present a service (religion) about global warming.
But there's some facts that I need to know fast.
Can anyone help me?
What is the formula of methane combustion? I know that if you burn methane it will become CO2, what is the formula?
CH4 + O2 + ?? -> CO2 + ??
What is the composition of car gasoline molecule? Just one type is enough.
And what is the combustion reaction formula?
Gasoline + O2 + ?? -> CO2 + ??
It's not about homework, it's just a catholic service every month in one of parishioner home. And tomorrow it's my turn to present about environment. The catholic encylic. Can anyone help me? The clock is ticking? I haven't even prepared the song, yet.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Stephanus]

Methane is ok
CH₄ + 2O₂ -> CO₂ + 2H₂O
Only gasoline left.

 

[Stephanus]

Done.
Gasoline is
2C₈H₁₈ + 25O₂ -> 16CO₂ + 18H₂O

 

[Borek]

Gasoline is

Your equation shows combustion of octane - one of the alkanes present in gasoline. Gasoline is a mixture, so it is not possible to describe its combustion with a single equation. Your equation will do as a good example (note that it is not much different from the methane combustion, sure - coefficients are different, formulas of the compounds undergoing combustion are different, but but these are just specific cases of a general notion).

 

[Stephanus]

Your equation shows combustion of octane - one of the alkanes present in gasoline. Gasoline is a mixture, so it is not possible to describe its combustion with a single equation. Your equation will do as a good example (note that it is not much different from the methane combustion, sure - coefficients are different, formulas of the compounds undergoing combustion are different, but but these are just specific cases of a general notion).

Okay, that's enough. I have to have something to talk about!