Combustion reactions of transition metal oxides (WO(3), MoO(3), Ta(2)O(5), Nb(2)O(5), ZrO(2), and TiO(2)), magnesium, carbon, and sodium fluoride produce a range of nanostructured transition metal carbides (W(2)C, Mo(2)C, TaC, NbC, ZrC, and TiC) with low amounts of free carbon. Sodium fluoride improves unfavorable combustion regimes and facilitates the carburization of metal carbides. The average particle size of carbides prepared in this study was below 100 nm in pure phase. The carbides were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, specific surface area analysis, and carbon analysis.