Which of the following best describes what happens when ethanol undergoes complete combustion in air?
It forms carbon dioxide and water only.
Ethanol, \(\mathrm{C_2H_5OH}\), contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. In complete combustion, burning takes place in a plentiful supply of oxygen, so all the carbon is oxidised fully and all the hydrogen forms water.
The balanced equation is \(\mathrm{C_2H_5OH + 3O_2 \rightarrow 2CO_2 + 3H_2O}\), with heat and light given out. So the products are only carbon dioxide and water, and ethanol burns with a clean blue flame.
Carbon dioxide alone ignores the hydrogen in ethanol, which must form water. Carbon monoxide or unburnt carbon (soot) forms only when the oxygen supply is limited, which is incomplete combustion, not complete combustion.
Hence, It forms carbon dioxide and water only.
Similar Questions
Which of the following statements best describes a characteristic shared by all organic compounds?
Why are saturated hydrocarbons generally unreactive under normal conditions?
Which of the following is NOT a branched alkane?
The element commonly referred to as the "building block of life" is:
How does soap help in cleaning greasy clothes?
Which carbon compound is least likely to undergo an addition reaction?
Which statement correctly describes an addition reaction?
Which statement best describes the function of micelles formed by soaps in water?
Which of the following is an example of a compound with a ring structure?
Why does incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons reduce energy efficiency?
Important Questions from Organic Chemistry
A carbon compound when heated in excess of concentrated sulphuric acid at 443K gives ethene. The compound is an________.
Plastic is not related to which of the following
The Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN) is:
Which one of the following is the chemical name of heavy water ?
Which of the following alkanes contains primary ($1^\circ$), tertiary ($3^\circ$), and quaternary ($4^\circ$) carbons, but no secondary ($2^\circ$) carbons?
