chemistry in daily life #9
Chemistry
Level
1
What gives smoke its characteristic color?
Unburnt Particles of fuel (soot).
The nature of the compound which undergoes combustion.
The scattering of light.
None of the above.
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1 solution
Combustion of fuel (gasoline - which is usually approximated as being made up of only octane \ce{C8H18}) is represented with this chemical equation:
\ce{2 C8H18 + 25 O2 -> 16 CO2 + 18 H2O}
However, incomplete combustion may result in incomplete combustion, producing soot (carbon) and carbon monoxide:
\ce{2 C8H18 + 6 O2 -> 3 CO + 5 C + 9 H2O}.
Soot is a mass of carbon particles that gives smoke it's black and hazy look.