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Fossil fuels (coal, oil natural gas, peat) are made from ancient plant and animal life.

Plants and animals are mde from carbon compounds.

As a consequence, fossil fuels contain carbon.

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What element are fossil fuels mostly made up of?

Fossil fuels are mostly made up of carbon, along with varying amounts of hydrogen, sulfur, and other elements.


What two elements are fossil fuels mainly composed of?

Fossil fuels are mainly composed of carbon and hydrogen. These elements make up the hydrocarbons found in fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas.


Is it true that halogens are the basis of all fossil fuels?

No, halogens are not the basis of all fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are primarily made up of hydrocarbons, which are compounds of hydrogen and carbon. Halogens, like chlorine and fluorine, are not typically found in significant amounts in fossil fuels.


Are all fossil fuels made up of carbon and hydrogen only?

By definition raw fossil fuels are not required to be purely composed of hydrocarbons. A hydrocarbon is by definition, just hydrogen and carbon; however in fossil fuels impurities are present that are often removed in refining. Some forms of fossil fuels have little or no hydrogen present (Coal for example is nearly all Carbon). It is not uncommon to find oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and other mineral and chemical components in a fossil fuel outside of pure hydrocarbons. Refineries are designed to take raw fossil fuels (oil for example) and adjust those various components to meet some requirement. A good example is in gasoline and diesel fuels where octane, heptane, butane and sulfur levels can be controlled.


What is the composition of fossil fuels?

Fossil fuels are primarily composed of hydrocarbons, which are molecules made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms. The main types of fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas, each with a different composition of hydrocarbons. Other elements such as sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen may also be present in varying amounts.

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People return carbon stored in fossil fuels to the carbon-oxygen cycle by burning what?

People return carbon stored in fossil fuels to the carbon-oxygen cycle by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. This combustion process releases carbon dioxide (CO2) back into the atmosphere, where it can be taken up by plants through photosynthesis.


What two elements are fossil fuels made up of?

carbon and hydrogen


How do fossil fuels release carbons into the atmosphere?

As fossil fuels are made up of Carbon and Hydrogen. This burns in oxygen (in air) to form Carbon dioxide and Water, so the carbon dioxide is released into the air


What element are fossil fuels mostly made up of?

Fossil fuels are mostly made up of carbon, along with varying amounts of hydrogen, sulfur, and other elements.


Where does most of the Carbon produced from burning fossil fuels end up?

It goes into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. The heat produced by burning fuel comes from forming the carbon-oxygen chemical bonds that creates CO2.


What two elements are fossil fuels mainly composed of?

Fossil fuels are mainly composed of carbon and hydrogen. These elements make up the hydrocarbons found in fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas.


Is it true that halogens are the basis of all fossil fuels?

No, halogens are not the basis of all fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are primarily made up of hydrocarbons, which are compounds of hydrogen and carbon. Halogens, like chlorine and fluorine, are not typically found in significant amounts in fossil fuels.


How do fossil fuels release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for 6th graders?

When fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas are burned for energy, they release carbon dioxide into the air. This happens because these fuels are made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms, and when they are burned, the carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, which is then released into the atmosphere. This process is called combustion.


Is burning fossil fuels the reason carbon dioxide is building up in your atmosphere?

Yes, burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to the increase in atmospheric concentrations of this greenhouse gas. This is a major driver of climate change and global warming.


What does fossil fuels lead to?

burning fossil fuels create carbon dioxide which trap the heat from the sun causing our planet to warm up, this is causing the ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise.


Is a carbon cycle a fossil fuel?

No, they are two different things. The carbon cycle is the way the earth moves carbon dioxide from the soil, oceans and trees in and out of the atmosphere. This supports the normal greenhouse effect, which has kept the earth comfortably warm since life began. Fossil fuels are things like coal, oil and natural gas, which we can dig up. Fossil fuels are full of stored carbon and this is released when we burn it for fuel, or to generate electricity. Burning fossil fuels disrupts the normal carbon cycle increasing the warming of the planet.