Organic

Compound
Air
Heat
Water

Carbon Dioxide

Energy

Example: CH
4
+2O
2 2
+2H
2
0

We all know that a car needs gasoline to run, and that coal was used in
trains for years. While we know that fuel makes things run, not all of us realize
exactly how it works. The majority of traditional fuels work, because they undergo
a combustion reaction. A combustion reaction is a simple reaction, which
provides usable energy for some of our most common machines today.
For example, propane or fuel in a grill only heats the grill once it has been
ignited. Heat acts as a catalyst in the combustion reactions and they cannot
occur with out it. A catalyst is something that lowers the amount of activation
energy in order for a reaction to occur. For an organic compound, also known as
a hydrocarbon, to undergo combustion, it must be exposed to both oxygen and
enough heat.
The organic compounds used as fuel in combustion reactions are carbon
based.. The molecules contain a carbon skeleton surrounded by hydrogen
atoms. For each mol of carbon burned in a combustion reaction, a mol of carbon
is released into the atmosphere. This is why we try to introduce more carpooling
or biking in cities, because every time we use a product that runs by combustion,
we create more CO
2
emissions.
Once a substance undergoes combustion, it produces water, carbon
dioxide and energy. The amount of each element in the reactants, the input, will
be the same as the amount of each element in the products, the output. The
conservation of mass and matter a chemical reaction must be upheld, therefor all
equations are balanced with coefficients that place equal amounts of each
element on either side.
Not all combustion reactions involve organic compounds, though
they just happen to be the most common. A combustion reaction generally refers
to a reaction where a molecule breaks up when exposed to oxygen and as a
result energy is released in the form of heat or light. A common non-organic
combustion reaction is a sparkler. The common sparklers we use on holidays
such as the fourth of July are examples of combustion using metals. Metals such
as zinc burn brightly giving off energy in the form of light and also heat. When the
sparkler is ignited in air, it shines brightly in sparks as a form of releasing the
energy that all combustion reactions create.

Another commonly unknown combustion reaction is a firework. A firework
is another example of a metal being ignited and illuminating a specific color.
Every metal on the periodic table has a certain color it will illuminate as when
burned. The energy created by the reaction allows the show to take place so high
off of the ground. Combustion reactions are everywhere in our everyday lives.
We have them in cars, planes, trains, and in fireworks.

The next time you ride in a car, use a grill, or see fireworks, think about how it
functions. Check out what type of fuel is starting the reaction. Notice the heat, smoggy
gas, and water vapor given off by the reaction. Combustion is occurring everywhere, you
just have to look out for it.