Why do most things blacken when burnt?
In: Chemistry
Intense heat triggers a series of chemical reactions. In the end, all of the chemicals are removed by the heat like boiling away water and all that is left is carbon if the thing came from an animal or tree. Carbon is black which is why burnt things eventually go black. When you burn the black carbon like charcoal, the white ash that remains is usually minerals and metals that were stuck in the carbon which are usually grey in color so appear grey/white.
The first stage of many foods burning is called the [maillard reaction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction) which is the chemical reaction of amino acids and sugars breaking down due to the heat. This changes flavors and usually browns your food like when baking or cooking a steak.
The next step is called [pyrolysis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrolysis) where some of the stuff is broken apart and left as carbon. It’s only kind of black at this stage.
When the thing turns black, that’s [carbonization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonization) and only carbon is left.
The things that do contain hydrocarbons which, when burnt, produce carbon as a result. Carbon is a very black material.
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