Ash vs. Soot

By Jaxson

Main Difference

The main difference between Ash and Soot is that the Ash is a waste product of fire; the end product of incomplete combustion; the solid remains of fires; specifically, it refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something is burned and Soot is a substance.

  • Ash

    Ash or ashes are the solid remains of fires. Specifically, it refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something is burned. In analytical chemistry, in order to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash is the non-gaseous, non-liquid residue after a complete combustion.

    Ashes as the end product of incomplete combustion will be mostly mineral, but usually still contain an amount of combustible organic or other oxidizable residues. The best-known type of ash is wood ash, as a product of wood combustion in campfires, fireplaces, etc. The darker the wood ashes, the higher the content of remaining charcoal will be due to incomplete combustion.

    Like soap, ash is also a disinfecting agent (alkaline). The World Health Organization recommends ash or sand as alternative to soap when it’s not available.

  • Soot

    Soot is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolysed fuel particles such as coal, cenospheres, charred wood, and petroleum coke that may become airborne during pyrolysis and that are more properly identified as cokes or char.

    Soot causes cancer and lung disease.

Wikipedia
  • Ash (noun)

    The solid remains of a fire.

    “The audience was more captivated by the growing ash at the end of his cigarette than by his words.”

    “Ash from a fireplace can restore minerals to your garden’s soil.”

    “Ashes from the fire floated over the street.”

    “Ash from the fire floated over the street.”

  • Ash (noun)

    The nonaqueous remains of a material subjected to any complete oxidation process.

  • Ash (noun)

    Fine particles from a volcano, volcanic ash.

  • Ash (noun)

    Human (or animal) remains after cremation.

    “The urn containing his ashes was eventually removed to a closet.”

  • Ash (noun)

    What remains after a catastrophe.

  • Ash (noun)

    A gray colour, like that of ash.

    “color panel|B2BEB5”

  • Ash (noun)

    A shade tree of the genus Fraxinus.

    “The ash trees are dying off due to emerald ash borer.”

    “The woods planted in ash will see a different mix of species.”

  • Ash (noun)

    The wood of this tree.

  • Ash (noun)

    The traditional name for the ae ligature (æ), as used in Old English.

  • Ash (verb)

    To reduce to a residue of ash. See ashing.

  • Ash (verb)

    To hit the end off of a burning cigar or cigarette.

  • Ash (verb)

    To cover newly-sown fields of crops with ashes.

  • Soot (noun)

    Fine black or dull brown particles of amorphous carbon and tar, produced by the incomplete combustion of coal, oil etc.

  • Soot (verb)

    To cover or dress with soot.

    “to soot land”

Wiktionary
  • Ash (noun)

    the powdery residue left after the burning of a substance

    “I turned over the ashes”

    “cigarette ash”

  • Ash (noun)

    the remains of a human body after cremation or burning

    “his ashes were scattered on the waters of the Ganges River”

  • Ash (noun)

    the mineral component of an organic substance, as assessed from the residue left after burning

    “coal contains higher levels of ash than premium fuels”

  • Ash (noun)

    a trophy for the winner of a series of Test matches in a cricket season between England and Australia.

  • Ash (noun)

    a tree with compound leaves, winged fruits, and hard pale timber, widely distributed throughout north temperate regions.

  • Ash (noun)

    the hard pale wood of the ash tree.

  • Ash (noun)

    used in names of trees unrelated to the ash but with similar leaves, e.g. mountain ash.

  • Ash (noun)

    an Old English runic letter, ᚫ, a vowel intermediate between a and e. It is represented in the Roman alphabet by the symbol æ or Æ.

  • Soot (noun)

    a deep black powdery or flaky substance consisting largely of amorphous carbon, produced by the incomplete burning of organic matter.

  • Soot (verb)

    cover or clog (something) with soot

    “you have previously sooted the underside of their plate by holding it over a candle”

Oxford Dictionary

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