What is combustion? Give some reactions to show that carbon in all its forms and in the form of compounds undergo combustion.

Explanation

The process involving burning of a given substance, in presence of excess of oxygen or air, is known as combustion. Carbon, in all its allotropic forms, burns in oxygen to give carbon dioxide, along with the release of heat and light. It has been observed that most of the carbon compounds also release a large amount of heat and light on burning. The process of combustion is typical example of oxidation reaction and can be represented by the following chemical reactions :
`C_((s))+O_(2(g))rarrCO_(2(g))+"heat and light"`
`CH_(4(g))+2O_(2(g))rarrCO_(2(g))+2H_(2)O_(g)+"heat and light"`
`C_(2)H_(5)OH_((l))+3O_(2(g))rarr2CO_(2(g))+3H_(2)O_(g)+"heat and light"`