Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: chris on 10/04/2013 23:49:06

Title: Why do natural gas and other hydrocarbons burn blue?
Post by: chris on 10/04/2013 23:49:06

I confess that I now know the answer, but it's such an interesting concept that I thought it would be worth raising here so that we can discuss it.

Who wants to have a go?

Title: Re: Why do natural gas and other hydrocarbons burn blue?
Post by: damocles on 11/04/2013 03:52:58

OK, I will buy in. It is because of an emission band in the spectrum of C₂, which is a strongly fluorescent intermediate in the combustion reaction scheme. CH also has an emission band in the blue, and is abundant in the flame.

Title: Re: Why do natural gas and other hydrocarbons burn blue?
Post by: chris on 11/04/2013 21:50:52

Yes, well done. I was lucky to meet a combustion chemist for lunch a couple of days ago and had the most facinating conversation. He explained that most of that blue is CH and CO recombining and also radicals that dump energy using photon emission.

Chris