Carbon-cycle simulator
Methane burning in a sealed house
A gas burner runs in a sealed 250 m³ house with no windows and no sunlight. The house starts at 20.0°C, the same as outside, so any change in temperature comes from the flame. The burner takes its oxygen from the house's air and stops when the oxygen falls below 15.0%.
To keep the pressure steady, a vent lets out nitrogen as the flame adds gas or warms the air. Nitrogen takes no part in burning and makes up most of the air, so letting only nitrogen out keeps the chemistry simple and stops the pressure building until the house bursts.
CH₄ + 2 O₂ → CO₂ + 2 H₂O
| Side of the equation | Substance | Amount (mol) | Mass (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reactants | CH₄ Methane | 0 | 0 |
| O₂ Oxygen | 0 | 0 | |
| Products | CO₂ Carbon dioxide | 0 | 0 |
| H₂O Water vapour | 0 | 0 |
- Heat released
- 0 MJ
- Water condensed on the walls
- 0 kg
- N₂ vented to hold the pressure
- 0 mol
Gases in the house
Use the arrow keys to move it. Home puts it back.- Time
- 0 s
- Temperature
- 20.0°C
- Pressure
- 101.33 kPa
- Flame
- Burning
| Gas | Share of the air | Change | Amount (mol) |
|---|---|---|---|
| N₂ Nitrogen | 77.2% | 0 | 8,022 |
| O₂ Oxygen | 20.7% | 0 | 2,152 |
| H₂O Water vapour | 1.2% | 0 | 120 |
| CO₂ Carbon dioxide | 415 ppm | 0 | 4.31 |
| CH₄ Methane | 1.9 ppm | 0 | 0.0195 |
| Total | 100% | 10,393 |
Gases under 0.1% of the air are in parts per million (ppm). Change is in percentage points (pp) or ppm. Water that condenses on the walls leaves the air.
Argon (Ar, 0.9% of the air) isn't listed because it takes no part in the reaction. The total includes it.