ABSTRACT
Gases heavier than air at room temperature can be lighter than air when heated. The combustion of hydrogen with oxygen to produce water is the simplest combustion reaction and was one of the first gaseous reactions studied. When hydrocarbons burn, the products of complete combustion are carbon dioxide (CO2) and water. The secret to balancing hydrocarbon combustion equations is to first balance the carbons. The chemical equation describing the combustion of the simplest organic fuel, methane, is only slightly more complicated. The amount of heat released when a specific amount of substance is completely burned is its heat of combustion. Heat of combustion is measured as energy per unit mass. An oxygen consumption calorimeter, used extensively in fire research, measures the depletion of oxygen as a result of flaming combustion processes. Combustion continues as long as the flame radiates enough heat onto the surface of the solid to produce a sufficient quantity of vapors and gases.
