Complete combustion (given sufficient oxygen) of any hydrocarbon produces carbon dioxide and water.

Equations

It is quite important that you can write properly balanced equations for these reactions, because they often come up as a part of thermochemistry calculations. Don't try to learn the equations - there are far too many possibilities. Work them out as you need them.

Some are easier than others. For example, with alkanes, the ones with an even number of carbon atoms are marginally harder than those with an odd number!

For example, with propane (C₃H₈), you can balance the carbons and hydrogen's as you write the equation down. Your first draft would be:

Counting the oxygen's leads directly to the final version:

With butane (C₄H₁₀), you can again balance the carbons and hydrogen's as you write the equation down.

Counting the oxygen's leads to a slight problem - with 13 on the right-hand side. The simple trick is to allow yourself to have "six-and-a-half" O₂ molecules on the left.

If that offends you, double everything:

Incomplete combustion

Incomplete combustion (where there isn't enough oxygen present) can lead to the formation of carbon or carbon monoxide.

As a simple way of thinking about it, the hydrogen in the hydrocarbon gets the first chance at the oxygen, and the carbon gets whatever is left over!

The presence of glowing carbon particles in a flame turns it yellow, and black carbon is often visible in the smoke. Carbon monoxide is produced as a colorless poisonous gas