What do Car fumes produce?

Question

I was having a discussion and i thought that it was carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxides and nitrogen oxides that cars produce whereas my friend said it was carbon monoxide which i thought was wrong as it would mean incomplete combustion. Can anyone prove me right or wrong. I dont know.... but i think i am right.

Answer 1

lets make the assumption that the car you are talking about is not electric, or has a specially modified engine, but is instead your regular petrol powered internal combustion engine type.

Well most of the combustion products are carbon dioxide and water. 98% or more, depending on how well your engine is tuned. However the high temperatures in the combustion chamber also produce some reaction between the atmospheric Nitrogen and oxygen to produce nitous oxides of various kinds including NO and NO2. If your fuel was not sulphur free then SO2will be formed as well, although most fuels are fairly sulphur free these days. In addition there will be a small amount of CO (carbon monoxide) produced. In addition there will be small amounts of soot and partially combusted fuel. A well tuned, well designed engine in good condition with fuel injection and electronic ignition will minimise these pollutants. But even the best will produce a mix of chemicals. Increase the amount of air and raise the temperature, you get more NOxs, reduce the air lower the temperature and you get more CO. So you were right, car exhausts contain carbon dioxide lots of it, and your freind was right, car exhausts contain carbon dioxide as well. As only a small amount of CO is lethal, sticking a car exhaust into a non ventilated space will kill you. This would be a permanent way to prove the presence of CO. Not recomended however. Collect some car exhaust gas and mix with lime water it will turn milky, proof positive that CO2 is present.

Answer 2

Your friend is correct in the statement that an automobile produces carbon monoxide.  The engine does not achieve complete combustion, this is the reason catalytic converters were developed.  Probably the simplest way to look at this is people in an enclosed area with the engine running die from carbon monoxide poisoning.  Carbon dioxide is produced from the combustion of coal, natural gas, and wood.

Answer 3

It's definately Carbon MONoxide!

It's a basic scientific fact you get taught in Science class.

It is the product of the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing compounds, notably in internal-combustion engines!

Answer 4

cars do produce carbon monoxide,

Answer 5

If you look in the end of an exhaust pipe there is a black powder, this is unreacted carbon (soot), clear evidence of incomplete combustion and CO production along with SOx, NOx and CO2.

Answer 6

Carbonmonoxide