All Questions
Tagged with everyday-chemistry combustion
44 questions
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Purpose of sulphuric acid in archaic matchboxes
The first attempts at instantaneous matchboxes usually included some sort of oxidizer, usually potassium chlorate and an initiating fuel (first sugar was used then they moved on to $\ce{Sb2S3}$ etc.) ...
4
votes
2
answers
999
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Flash point of naptha and propanol
I filled a Zippo lighter with 2-propanol and it lit up easily when the ambient temperature was around 6-7 degrees Celsius.
It was impossible to light it up when the temperature was around 3-4 degrees ...
- 149
5
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1
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Why would tellurium + sodium hydroxide have worked as a good anti-knock gasoline additive (if it wasn't so smelly)?
The April 22, 2022 Veritasium video The Man Who Accidentally Killed The Most People In History mentions several aspects of the historical use of tetra-ethyl lead in gasoline, the resulting widespread ...
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3
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Does smoking drugs degrade them?
Why doesn't smoking a drug degrade or destroy it?
A wide variety of psychoactive compounds ("drugs") are commonly consumed via smoking – e.g., nicotine, THC, amphetamines, cocaine, and DMT. ...
- 3,352
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1
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Why does charcoal not produce smoke when heated?
As I understand; the reason we have smoke in a fire is because the heat causes wood (or whatever material is burning) to dis-integrate, the disintegrated components react with oxygen to create more ...
- 137
2
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1
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Viability of reduction of oil paint binder and solvent flammability upon disposal via addition of water
As an artist, when disposing of a paper towel or cotton rag containing oil paint, turpentine, odorless turpentine substitute or mineral spirits at the end of a painting session, I generally pour water ...
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2
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296
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Controlled burn with colored flames (Gender Reveal) [closed]
Is there a single solvent that can dissolve chemicals/elements that when burned, will produce the color of its respective chemical/element?
If so, what chemical/element can be dissolved in this ...
8
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2
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1k
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How is octane rating defined for negative values and those over 100?
Based on my reading, the octane rating for a given fuel is calculated by finding the compression ratio at which it knocks and finding a mixture of $X\%$ isooctane and $(100 - X)\%$ n-heptane which ...
- 267
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1
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86
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Combustion and pyrolysis of sulfides and organosulfurs
Last week there was a huge fire in french chemical factory Lubrizol, we now know the main products that burnt, to simplify the discussion I extracted a few compounds:
isobutyl and isobutene ...
- 111
7
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About Smoke Grenades and Sugar Rockets
The most common formula for smoke grenades and sugar rocket fuel is $60\%\ \ce{KNO3}$ (potassium nitrate) and $40\%\ \ce{C12H22O11}$ (sugar). This is a 3:2 ratio, but I've also seen 2:1 and 5:3 with ...
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0
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What governs the amount of smoke produced by an extinguished match?
First Chemistry question, so apologies if this isn't quite in the spirit of this SE.
I have noticed that when extinguishing a lit match by blowing it out, the amount of smoke produced can vary widely....
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4
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2
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Is flour or baking soda really suitable for extinguishing grease fires?
I think most have heard the advise that you should put flour (or baking soda) on a grease fire to absorb the oil before. While this is certainly better than using water, I'm skeptical.
For starters ...
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1
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Is sodium "also known to turn purple and combust (like lithium)," when exposed to water?
I understand that indicator solutions can change color depending on pH, but the following statements in the Phys.org article Super cheap earth element to advance new battery tech to the industry has ...
- 5,997
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1
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103
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More effective fire extinguisher liquid than water
I join robot fire fighting contest. One of the mission is to extinguish candle by spraying it with liquid (water is default option). For spray mechanism I use pump with Venturi effect principle. Is ...
8
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1
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883
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What chemical can cause such a fire? [closed]
A friend of mine who thinks that she is under influence of black magic met an astrologer. The astrologer asked her to wear a t-shirt for three nights and then bring that to him. The astrologer then ...
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Which (carbonaceous) fuels produce more or less soot in a diffusion flame, and how to predict that?
From what I've read, the production of soot in a flame is still an open research topic. But some hydrocarbon fuels produce much more soot than others. Are there (simple) rules that tell which fuels ...
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2
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2
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587
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Spontaneous combustion of sulfur in a steel barrel
Got some free sulfur. Went to the site, and they put a pallet with 3 barrels on it. One of the barrels was badly corroded, but looked like I could get it home. I had plastic barrels at home that I ...
7
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2
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13k
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Is there a flame which doesn't produce smoke?
I read a book where it states the following:
There are many types of flame and there are even flames which don't produce smoke.
After reading it, it just got stuck in my mind. Is there a flame ...
- 207
3
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1
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79
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Aluminium, heat and biological safety
I'm currently working on a really simple project, an ashtray that can stop cigarette combustion.
I planned to put an aluminium block into my ashtray, with some kind of curves or holes in it, in order ...
- 133
9
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7
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6k
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Examples of non-volatile, but flammable liquids?
As far as I know, most flammable liquids are volatile. Are there flammable liquids that are non-volatile?
- 107
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3
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Why does internal combustion engine smoke appear blue? Could there be "blue molecules" in it?
Four-stroke and two-stroke gasoline engines as well as diesel engines can all emit dense clouds of blue-tinged smoke under various transient loads or incorrectly tuned conditions.
Raleigh scattering -...
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2
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Can we chemically characterize a flame? [closed]
Can we chemically characterize a flame ?
Recently, while I was lighting a candle, I came across this question; can we find out the chemical composition of a particular flame? If yes then how? In ...
- 533
3
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1
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447
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Does benzene vapor react with air in a closed barrel?
If we would have benzene in a closed barrel for quite a while at room temperature, some vapor would form fast due to its volatility, right? But let's say that when the barrel was closed, some air got ...
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4
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Why is compressed air flammable?
I have a can of compressed air. The type you use to clean the insides of computer. It's "100% ozone friendly" and "pure compressed gas". So I assume its everyday regular breathable air. I used it to ...
- 103
19
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1
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2k
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How do self-relighting (trick) birthday candles work?
You may have seen those birthday candles, where, upon blowing them out they smoulder for a bit and then (magically) relight.
How do they work? Why can't regular candles do this (is it possible for a ...
- 6,802
10
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1
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1k
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Sugar burning with the assistance of ash
If a plain pile of sugar (or a sugar cube) is heated with a torch, it just melts and gives off smoke. However, if some paper or wood ashes are added, it burns quite easily. What are the ingredients of ...
- 1,514
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1
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164
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Is a gas leak considered incomplete combustion?
This may be a dumb question, but if I leave the stove-top valve open (or I have a gas leak due broken tubing), would that be considered incomplete combustion?
From my knowledge, I figured a reaction ...
4
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2
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738
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Propane Combustion in a Gas Grill with Irregular Flameouts
I'm troubleshooting a problem with a brand-new propane gas grill that is experiencing flameouts and making puffing/popping sounds. I'm asking here because I want to understand the basic chemistry ...
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63
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1
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Why does shaking a match put the fire out?
Move a match slowly and nothing happens but if you shake it violently the fire will extinguish. Oxygen makes fire grow so why does waving a flame through the oxygen rich air put the fire out? Does ...
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3
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2k
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Controled burn colored fire and safety
I am a martial artist who uses fire weapons in my shows. I am wondering how I can get the flames to be different colors.
I've done some research about it, and have found that the salts of some ...
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2
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1
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162
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About how much carbon monoxide is produced in these two different reations?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture produces a gas cartridge to poison subterranean rodents. The product is provided as a cardboard tube sealed at one end and then loaded with a mixture of 144.6 grams ...
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8
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2
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16k
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Why is the smell of car exhaust much stronger in winter?
I noticed that in winter, the smell of cars (to be precise the smell of the exhaust gases) is much stronger in winter. I just can't figure out why. Has this got something to do with the air ...
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4
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3
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12k
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Is liquid oxygen non flammable?
Every one knows that liquid oxygen is flammable, but why this tank labeled like this:
so is it really liquid oxygen is non flammable?
5
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1
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251
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Can a flame start on water (video included)?
Can a flame a start on a wet piece of paper immersed in water?
The video is shown below (not the full video):
https://youtu.be/Ey3z8z4Hxtc?t=1h27m29s
This is not in English so you might not ...
- 153
1
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1
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621
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Why does a smaller amount of propanol burn slower than a much larger amount?
Why does $30~\mathrm{mL}$ of $\ce{C3H7OH}$ burn in 1 second (inside a water jug) compared to a sixth of the amount: $5~\mathrm{mL}$ of $\ce{C3H7OH}$ (on a plate) burn in 180 seconds? Why does the ...
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3
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1
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What are the product(s) of red phosphorous when burned?
A match box lighter strip typically consists of powdered glass and red phosphorous. When this part is burned, it's residue is like a sticky dust that, when applying friction, will release smoke or ...
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1
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Black Smoke Produced from Regular Lighter but Not Torch Lighter Applied to Copper
I have a piece of copper mesh from which I would like to remove all coatings/oils. The copper comes from a pot scrubber like this. In order to remove any residue, I held a standard bic lighter up to ...
- 445
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3
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C + O2 is equal to C + O, how is that possible
C + O = CO2 . This is because carbon has valency of 4 while oxygen has valency of 2. When they react the valencies are criss crossed which means we will get C2O4 but this is simplified to CO2.
But ...
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6
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1
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Incomplete Combustion products
In class we performed an experiment which I am unable to understand the results for
Why does the the amount of soot produced vary? What is the amount of soot produced dependent on?
Experiment:
...
- 607
3
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2
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1k
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Figuring out the theoretical mass of reactants
I'm working on my chemistry lab report. The initial instructions were to test the hypothesis that the mass of products of a reaction will equal the mass of the reactants.
Basically we where given a ...
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9
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3
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29k
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Is it possible to light a match by scratching it on hard surfaces, like they do in movies?
In movies cool guys don't need a matchbox − they just light a match by scratching it on whatever hard surface − concrete walls, wooden bar tables, leather belts, etc. Is it just a movie trick, or is ...
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What determines a substance's energy of activation with air?
Ice will melt when heat is applied; paper will catch fire. In trying to figure out why — what the difference is between things that melt and things that catch — I found "Burn, Char, Melt" by Roberto ...
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3
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Is there a point at which Ethanol (E10) fuel becomes harmful to gas tanks or engines if not used?
This is not the typical chemistry question on this website, but I think it's an important practical question.
When I got a gas string trimmer, the woman who worked at the gardening shop told me that ...
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1
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2k
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Why do some materials turn black and others white after combustion?
Most solids objects turn black after they are burnt.
But some turn white.
Why is that ?
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