Lactones are a potential option for mitigating particulate emissions from combustion devices since they soot less than conventional fuels, even when accounting for their lower heats of combustion. However, the sooting tendencies depend strongly on the molecular structure of the lactone, so studies of a wide range of lactones are necessary to maximize the emissions benefits. The reaction pathways of the lactones play a key role in this behavior: many of them directly produce CO2, which uses the two oxygen atoms inefficiently to sequester only one carbon atom. Further kinetic studies are necessary to understand this behavior and identify molecules that use the oxygen more efficiently.