Why doesn gasoline burn cleanly?
If you have read Question 105, then you know that gasoline is a liquid formed purely of carbon and hydrogen. Gasoline is made up of carbon chains of different lengths ranging from C7H16 through C11H24. If you could burn gasoline as a vapor with a hot flame and plenty of oxygen, you would get nearly pure carbon dioxide and water as the combustion products. That is why you can burn natural gas, LP gas and kerosene indoors in the winter. An appropriately designed kerosene heater, for example, can be “ventless”. Automobile exhaust, unfortunately, contains a lot more than carbon dioxide and water. The most important pollutants in car exhaust include: • Carbon monoxide (a poison discussed in Question 190). Carbon monoxide is formed because combustion is incomplete. Not enough oxygen is availa
