If I’m not mistaken, oxygen is one of the elements necessary for a combustion to take place. Is oxygen flammable or not? Or does it just help speed up the process?
Answer
The answer is NO. Oxygen is not a fuel in itself. Flames, fire and all related chemical reactions result from a fuel being oxidized, or combined with oxygen. Dioxygen (gas) is essential for all combustion reactions and is an important player in corrosion (rusting). Adding (extra) oxygen to a burning fuel ensures that the fire burns much faster and is hotter. However, oxygen by itself will not burn. If it were, our atmosphere (that’s 20.9% dioxygen) would have burned up long ago. Oxygen is mixed with a number of different fuels to produce a faster, hotter flame. Acetylene, used in metal cutting torches, is mixed with oxygen to create a super hot flame that can quickly cut through metal. NASA also uses oxygen to burn hydrogen, not only to get faster combustion in the rocket engine, but also because the oxygen present in the atmosphere becomes much scarcer when you are high up in the atmosphere.
Answered by
Dr. Jan Buytaert
Biomedical Physics and Optics: *middle and inner ear mechanics *electro-optics *tomography *interferometry *3D imaging *endoscopy *image processing *profilometry *topography *programming *classical physics
Prinsstraat 13 2000 Antwerp
http://www.uantwerpen.be
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