What is a chemical equation for incomplete combustion?

Question

Word equations would be best!

Answer 1

For comparison :-

Complete combustion :
Carbon + Oxygen ----> Carbon Dioxide
C(s) + O2 (g) ----> CO2 (g)

Incomplete combustion:
Carbon + Oxygen ----> Carbon Monoxide
2C(s) + O2(g) ----> 2CO

Answer 2

The chemical equation for imcomplete combustion is any combustion reaction that does not result in only the products of water and carbon dioxide.

Many posters mentioned carbon monoxide as an incomplete combustion product and they are right, but it isn't the only incomplete combustion product. Incomplete combustions products can be almost anything and almost always result from not enough oxidizer (usually oxygen, but can be hydrogen peroxide or chlorine) or not enough heat.

Smoke from a wood fire is the result of incomplete combustion. Soot from a diesel engine is the result of a incomplete combustion.

fuel + oxidizer does not equal carbon dioxide and water

Answer 3

A reaction or process which entails only partial burning of a fuel. This may be due to a lack of oxygen or low temperature, preventing the complete chemical reaction. Carbon monoxide is produced as a byproduct from incomplete combustion of carbon.

Incomplete combustion occurs when there isn't enough oxygen to allow the fuel (usually a hydrocarbon) to react completely with the oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water, also when the combustion is quenched by a heat sink such as a solid surface or flame trap. When a hydrocarbon burns in air, the reaction will yield carbon dioxide, water, carbon monoxide, pure carbon (soot or ash) and various other compounds such as nitrogen oxides. Incomplete combustion is much more common and will produce large amounts of byproducts, and in the case of burning fuel in automobiles, these byproducts can be quite unhealthy and damaging to the environment.

Quality of combustion can be improved by design of combustion devices, such as burners and internal combustion engines. Further improvements are achievable by catalytic after-burning devices (such as catalytic converters). Such devices are required by environmental legislation for cars in most countries, and may be necessary in large combustion devices, such as thermal power plants, to reach legal emission standards.


Dioxins are produced as a byproduct from incomplete combustion of organic material in the presence of chlorine.

Answer 4

it's simply
c(graphite) plus half diatomic oxygen gas = carbon monoxide.

it's incomplete since carbon can (i think,) can bond 4 times. since diatomic oxygen can have 2 bonds, 1 oxygen gas gives 4 bonding areas to carbon. what makes it incomplete is that the remaining 2 bonding sites of carbon tend to become lone electron pair, thus stabilizing the structure, making incomplete combustion of carbon possible. i think sulfur dioxide is incomplete combustion product of rhombic sulfur. at very elevated temperature, the combustion is complete to form sulfur trioxide. the same principle holds true for this situation. :-) i think so much has been said. :-)

Answer 5

Incomplete combustion reactions occur when something does not burn efficiently. This can cause a lot of harm if the gases produced cannot escape. Carbon monoxide,an oderless and colorless gas, is dangerous. People poisoned by this gas usually become sleepy and can die due to exposure.


CH4 + O2  CO + H2O

These reactions may also be written by:
CH4  CO + H2O
Clue: CO (Carbon monoxide as a product.)

Answer 6

Complete Combustion: 2C8H18(l) + 25O2(g) -----> 16CO2(g) + 18H2O(l) Incomplete Combustion: 2C8H18(l) + 17O2(g) -----> 16CO(g) + 18H2O(l)

Answer 7

the equation would be (It + didnt + combust) = No combustion lol

Answer 8

fire+water

Answer 9

R + nO2 ------------------HEAT------------->
ROx+CO2+CO+C+H2O+NOx+Energy...