| MadSci Network: Chemistry |
|
It's all reaction energies; see this
MadSci answer. Acetylene reacts exothermically with oxygen because carbon
and hydrogen oxides are very stable. N2 doesn't react as readily
with oxygen because nitrogen oxides are not as stable, relative to
N2, as carbon dioxide and water are, relative to acetylene.
There's also the little matter of activation barriers. The energy released by changing acetylene and oxygen into water and carbon dioxide is substantial, enough to boost yet more acetylene and oxygen over the barrier. On the other hand, the energy you get from combining nitrogen and oxygen is pretty minor, so you need to continually add energy to convert them into nitrogen oxides.
|
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Chemistry.