Which one of the following carbon compounds will not give a sooty fl

Which one of the following carbon compounds will not give a sooty flame ?

Benzene

Hexane

Naphthalene

Anthracene

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Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC NDA-1 – 2016

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Hexane will not give a sooty flame.

Sooty flames are a result of incomplete combustion, where there is insufficient oxygen to fully oxidize the fuel. This often occurs with hydrocarbons that have a relatively high carbon content compared to hydrogen. Aromatic hydrocarbons (like Benzene, Naphthalene, Anthracene) and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons have a higher carbon-to-hydrogen ratio and tend to burn with sooty flames due to incomplete combustion and the formation of carbon particles (soot). Saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons (alkanes like Hexane, C6H14) have a lower carbon-to-hydrogen ratio and typically undergo more complete combustion, burning with a clean, blue flame, assuming sufficient oxygen is available.

Benzene (C6H6), Naphthalene (C10H8), and Anthracene (C14H10) are all aromatic hydrocarbons with high carbon content. Hexane (C6H14) is a saturated alkane. The general formula for alkanes is CnH2n+2, while aromatics have proportionally less hydrogen for the same number of carbon atoms. This difference in composition affects how they burn.

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