The fossil fuel coal is mainly
.
Oil is a
of many molecules which are compounds of carbon and
and are known as
.
When fuels burn the carbon and hydrogen atoms combine with the
in air to form
and
vapour.
In a chemical reaction the atoms of the reactants are
to give the
. The number of atoms of each
must be the same in the products as in the
. This is known as the law of
of mass. The properties of the reactants and products are
.
Per molecule of methane, the reaction illustrated above involves
atom(s) of carbon,
atom(s) of hydrogen,
atom(s) of oxygen and
atoms all together.