Combustion

Overview

Benzene combusts to carbon dioxide and water and tends to burn with a smoky flame.

Transformation

Benzene → Carbon dioxide

Equation

2 C6H6 + 15 O2 -> 12 CO2 + 6 H2O

Reagents

oxygen

Environment

ignite

Reaction class

combustion

Mechanism

combustion

Evidence level

textbook core

Scope and limitations

Scope

Benzene burns in oxygen; its high carbon-to-hydrogen ratio makes a smoky flame likely in limited air.

Limitations

This record gives the complete-combustion equation; incomplete products depend on oxygen supply.

Related reactions

• Grignard carboxylation co reactant: Carbon dioxide → Carboxylic acids

  Carbon dioxide plus a Grignard reagent gives a carboxylic acid after acidic work-up.

• Complete combustion: Alkanes → Carbon dioxide

  Alkanes burn completely in excess oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water.

• Complete combustion: Alcohols → Carbon dioxide

  Alcohols burn completely in excess oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water.

• Bromination: Benzene → Halogenoarenes

  Benzene undergoes bromination with a halogen carrier catalyst to form bromobenzene.

• Nitration: Benzene → Nitroarenes

  Benzene is nitrated by concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids to form nitrobenzene.

• Friedel Crafts alkylation: Benzene → Alkylarenes

  Friedel-Crafts alkylation attaches an alkyl group to benzene.

• Friedel Crafts acylation: Benzene → Acylbenzenes

  Friedel-Crafts acylation attaches an acyl group to benzene.

• Ring hydrogenation: Benzene → Cyclohexane

  Benzene gives cyclohexane through ring hydrogenation.

• Nitration: Benzene → Nitrobenzene

  Benzene gives nitrobenzene through nitration.

References

1. Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Chemistry specificationPearson Education Limited · Pearson qualifications · 2024

   Supports the textbook-core organic reaction routes used for displayed route and mechanism content.