How a molecular motor moves in a network

A new study determines the efficiency of a single-molecule heat engine by considering a series of ratchets that transfer energy along a network.

Catalyst can control methane emissions in natural gas engines

A catalyst using a single or just a few palladium atoms removed 90% of unburned methane from natural gas engine exhaust at low temperatures in a recent study. While more research needs to be done, the advance in single atom ...

A breakthrough in sustainable methane utilization technology

99.5% of combustible ice is methane, making it an important reserve energy source. It is inferred that the reserves of combustible ice in the South China Sea amount to the equivalent of at least 80 billion tons of oil.

New study shows how Chicago pollution varies by neighborhood

If you live along one of the major interstate highways running through Chicago or directly next to Lake Michigan, you are regularly exposed to more air pollution than the rest of the city, a new Northwestern University study ...

page 1 from 40

Combustion

Combustion (English pronunciation: /kəmˈbʌs.tʃən /) or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame. Fuels of interest often include organic compounds (especially hydrocarbons) in the gas, liquid or solid phase.

In a complete combustion reaction, a compound reacts with an oxidizing element, such as oxygen or fluorine, and the products are compounds of each element in the fuel with the oxidizing element. For example:

A simple example can be seen in the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen, which is a commonly used reaction in rocket engines:

The result is water vapor.

Complete combustion is almost impossible to achieve. In reality, as actual combustion reactions come to equilibrium, a wide variety of major and minor species will be present such as carbon monoxide and pure carbon (soot or ash). Additionally, any combustion in atmospheric air, which is 78% nitrogen, will also create several forms of nitrogen oxides.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA