do you know about chemistry?

[ifitmovesitsbiology_198778]

On friday i had a chemistry exam and one of the questions really puzzled me, and i cant find the answer anywhere.
It was one of the last questions on the paper and was about graphite.
The question was;
What is formed when graphite is burned in air?
We had to write the word formula, then the chemical one. We had to include symbols and balance the equation.
Can anyone help, or know a site where i might find the answer.
Please help. :)

[MC Master of Ceremonies]

Long time since I did chemistry, but just having a look in my chemistry data book I think it would be carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

[ifitmovesitsbiology_198778]

thankyou. do you know how you would write the formula?

[MC Master of Ceremonies]

C + 02 -> C02 (the 2s after the letters are meant to be subscript)

Is probably all they were looking for, but:

2C + 02 -> 2C0

(the 2 after the letter is subscript, the ones before are not)

would of also been a product.

[ifitmovesitsbiology_198778]

thankyou

[raygirvan]

The WebElements page on carbon (http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/C/chem.html) says it burns to CO2 in air, but to CO if the air supply is restricted.

[MC Master of Ceremonies]

Well you'd still produce a certain amount of both whatever way you did it, but as this is highschool chemistry as I said before CO2 is probably all they wanted.

[Desmostylus]

Read all about it:

The Thermal Oxidation Of Graphite (http://www.iaea.or.at/inis/aws/htgr/fulltext/xa54410.10.pdf) (warning: .PDF)

[raygirvan]

I agree. (I studied metallurgy at university, and carbon combustion gets very complicated.; the whole thing of the reaction kinetics of various C/CO/O2/CO2 relationships at different tempreatures. Ugh.)

[ifitmovesitsbiology_198778]

thankyou to all of u. One of have to be write. so thanx