What would happen say you heated wood to a high enough temperature? just in a complete absence of oxygen therefore combustion (i'd imagine) would not occur.  Would wood start to liquidise? obviously wood is a combination of many chemical compounds and i'm sure they will all respond differently i was just curious as to whether any of them would liquidise out, if so or if not why?

I heard that there is some old (circa 1960-19070) and well known research showing that alcohol causes red blood cell to agglutinate into big "lamps" (tens or even hundreds in a lump). Apparently these lumps are clearly visible in eye capillaries if I were to use a microscope.

Some people say that agglutinated red cell can't get through small capillaries of the brain to reach neurons and as a result we get a high similar to what we get if we go too high on a hot air balloon without an oxygen mask.

I'd really like to know if all above is true/partially true/all wrong as it looks to me as a very likely explanation of how alcohol actually works.

Sergei Zhyzhyn, Glasgow

Bunsens are commonplace in the lab, but suppose that one were to be lit in an atmosphere of methane, such as on Titan, with oxygen being fed through the hose. Would the flame look any different? Is it even possible?

I have just read that a Swiss man, Peter Colat, has set a new world record for holding his breath under water: 19 minutes and 21 seconds. How is this possible?

John Junior, Leicester, UK

Lithium Peroxide has the capability to take in Carbon Dioxide and give out Oxygen. How much Lithium Peroxide would I need to perform the same job as a tree, and could it be regenerated (from Lithium Carbonate) to keep doing it, and would it be worth it in energy costs? Could it save the planet from climate change? Should we just plant more trees?

Best Regards,

Peter Finan

Haworth

West Yorkshire