Fire and Ice?

Question

Can a fire be ignited using ice?

Answer 1

sure can, and easy to do when its really cold out. Get a block of ice, using heat from your hands, form it to a lens (takes a while and your hands get cold) - then use it like a magnifing glass on some tinder or fine steel wool. Try to make the lens as symetrical as possible (convex on both sides). doesnt really matter about the focus length - but diameter bigger is better.


Edit: Princess23 - oil fires can indeed be put out with water. Fire requires four things: Fuel, Air (specifically O2 or another oxidizer), Heat, and the chemical chain reaction at the interface with the fuel.

Water removes heat and interupts the chain reaction through steam creation. Fire can occur under water ONLY if you have a source of an oxidizer, which is not a too common occurance, but can happen. Perhaps you were thinking about oil on top of water - which will burn readily if conditions are right. This too, can be put out with a water fog though.

Answer 2

I can't think how. A spark induced by static electricity suggests a very remote possibilty if a suitable fuel and oxygen is also present but ice always has a thin coat of conducting liquid water .
Dropping a chunk of a Group I alkali metal on ice might well do the trick but it's the metal that would initiate combustion, not the ice.
However. for nickgy71's benefit, fire can indeed be lit underwater if you have an adequate source of oxygen and fuel. Divers regularly weld up oil rig structures at considerable depths.

Answer 3

What Phi D says. The alkali metals are extremely explosive when exposed to moisture.

And, for the record, fire can take place underwater. An oil fire, for example, cannot be extinguished with water, nor can an electrical fire.

Answer 4

I bet homo erectus tried it.... but since they probably couldn't do it the dropped the idea.

Mucho easier to light a fighter by using sticks... match sticks.

BTW you can ignite real fire in a female using ice cubes. you have to push it along their body with trailing kisses.... then watch the fireworks

Answer 5

indirectly. yes.

by using a bipolar cooper cell. inducing electrical charge to start a c4.

directly. maybe.
possible, if the ice turned into water. mixing them with sensitive element can cause rapid oxidation (fire). but if you define ice as icy ice (no water exist), i dont think so. No moving particle means no chemical reactions.

Answer 6

I doubt it. The 3 basic requirements for combustion (fire) are heat, fuel and oxygen. The problem arises when you thikn of the heat factor, although it may be possible

Answer 7

I do have flares of anger that are hearth, notwithstanding it is the sluggish burn of the ice that i attempt to maintain at bay. warm moments are the following and lengthy gone. Ice lingers. i'm with you, pay attention of the ice.

Answer 8

sure, if you have elemental Na, K, or Ca and drop it on the ice (water is better), it will ignite... and explode too

Answer 9

depends on the kind of ice, but it's possible.

Answer 10

if there is a lot of ice, yeah