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If I were to pour some liquid oxygen onto some burning wood would it freeze or explode violently?

Does the result depend on the combustibility of the object? In other words, would it definitely explode if I used cooking gas instead of wood?

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  • Asked by Potency
  • on 2011-01-16 19:14:55
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Last edited on: 2011-01-16 19:15:32

Categories: Unanswered.

Tags: combustion.

 

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Jon-Richfield says:

 

 

Sorry, but your question is a bit confused. Let's begin with the first point:

Pouring oxygen onto burning wood would cause all sorts of hazards; it probably would not cause a combustion explosion, not being confined, but it would splash all sorts of hazardous things about. If you must try that one, you might get a less messy result by dropping a burning brand into the oxygen. (Use cheap equipment,  cheap accommodation, and perform the experiment from a safe distance, with due precautions against uninformed bystanders wandering past.) What you certainly will get is intense burning that will be alien to anyone who has never seen anything burning in oxygen.

Actual explosives have been prepared, even used commercially, by soaking porous materials such as lamp black or sawdust in liquid oxygen. They were cheap, clean, and powerful, but had to be mixed pretty close to where they were used and they gave very hot flames, so they were dangerous to use underground. Just pouring the oxygen over the material would promote burning and mess, but seldom cause anything like an effective explosion.

I read the rest of your question as asking whether pouring oxygen over a gas flame would cause an explosion. Well, if the gas is from liquid petroleum gas in a bucket, it might, but if it is a flame from the kitchen hob, then not much could happen to the flame because the supply of fuel would not be increased. A fire, or explosive burning, requires appropriate amounts of reducing agent (fuel) and oxidiser (such as oxygen). An explosion also requires that they be suitably mixed, and preferably confined. If you only have one of those components, such as just fuel, or just oxygen, or they are not mixed, then you cannot get much of an explosive.

Is that what you wanted to know?

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Tags: combustion.

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posted on 2011-01-17 07:42:24 | Report abuse


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Tijdelijk says:

Very nice answer, but maybe a little long. Very simple experiment. blow on a burning match: it will go out. Blow on a BBQ that is starting, it will burn. Blow against a forest fire. Nothing much will happen.

In combustion you need a combustible material and usually oxygen. The way oxygen is added to the combustion process determines it's effect. That's all.

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posted on 2011-02-10 22:03:25 | Report abuse


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