In this work, we expand upon past work relating the nanostructure and oxidative reactivity of soot. This work shows that the initial structure alone does not dictate the reactivity of diesel soot and rather the initial oxygen groups have a strong influence on the oxidation rate. A comparison of the complete oxidation behavior and burning mode was made to address the mechanism by which biodiesel soot enhances oxidation. Diesel soot derived from neat biodiesel (13 100) is far more reactive during oxidation than soot from neat Fischer-Tropsch diesel fuel (FT100). B 100 soot undergoes a unique oxidation process leading to capsule-type oxidation and eventual formation of graphene ribbon structures. The results presented here demonstrate the importance of initial properties of the soot, which lead to differences in burning mode. Incorporation of greater surface oxygen functionality in the B 100 soot provides the means for more rapid oxidation and drastic structural transformation during the oxidation process. (c) 2006 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.