How come water extinguish fire?

Question

All we know water is a molecule consisting of Oxygen and Hydrogen. While Oxygen helps fire and Hydrogen is inflamable. howcome the product from both of this element extinguishes fire

Answer 1

When atoms (elements) are chemically combined to form molecules the combination makes an new substance with characteristics very different than each separate element. Water extinguishes fire because it reduces heat and oxygen. The fire does not break up the water molecules to form free hydrogen and oxygen.

Answer 2

Fire requires 4 things to burn, heat, fuel, oxygen, and chemical reaction. This is known as the fire tetrahedron. If you remove any one of these the fire goes out. On normal fires water removes heat from the fire through the cooling of evaporation causing it to quit burning. In large quantities is can extinguish the fire by removing the oxygen. You are right though about hydrogen and oxygen, and on very hot fires (such as magnesium) water will split into those components and cause the fire to get larger.

Answer 3

Fire needs, heat, oxygen and fuel to survive. Take away one or more of these elements and you have extinguished the fire. Throwing water onto a fire reduces the heat. Water is a stable molecule you need electrolysis to break it down, heat alone will not do the job.

Answer 4

Water cools the item that is burning, removing the heat portion of the fire tetrahedron. In enough quantities it also works to smother the fire removing the oxygen part of the fire tetrahedron.

Water (H2O) is one of the most unique molecules out there with some of the strangest properties when compared to other molecules. Bill Bryson's book A Short History of Nearly Everything mentions the unique qualities of water and how its uniqueness has helped us to survive on this planet.

Answer 5

It takes 3 things to make a fire:
1) heat
2) fuel
3) oxygen

Water cools the heat source and it also seperates the oxygen from the fuel supply. Don't ever use water to extinguish live electrical fires or magnesium fires. In the case of live electrical - you stand the chance of getting electrocuted. In the case of magnesium - the hot metal can explode from the rapid cool-down.

Answer 6

Fire needs oxygen to continue burning. Water stops the oxygen supply (although water also got O2 but that cant be used by the fire cuz the bonds are very strong).

Answer 7

Water is like ash a byproduct after burning.

water when put on (not all types of) fire disconnects fuel from oxygen and hence results in extinguishing effect.

Answer 8

Water can extinguish only those fires which are caused by burning substances denser than it because in such cases, water cuts off the vital air supply needed for fire.

Answer 9

Oxygen fuels the fire.
Hydrogen has the highest calorific content.

Both combined, form water. As a compound, and not a mixture, they lose their original properties, and have new props all together.

Water not only reduces the temprature, it cuts off the direct O2 (oxygen) supply.

Answer 10

mostly it reduces the temperature necessary, but it also blocks oxygen.

as part of the water molecule, the oxygen in water does not contribute oxygen to the fire.