if a rocket engine works by mixing two chemicals in a sealed chamber what are the two chemicals?

Answer 1

Hydrogen and Oxygen.

Answer 2

Any two chemicals that can react to give off a gas with much greater volume than their original components. Water and baking soda make a nice little motor to push a tow boat along, but you won't get enough thrust to fly with.

Most rockets use oxygen as one of the components as oygen reactions are usually so violent you get a lot of "bang for your buck". What you burn with the oxygen depends on the handling characteristics and cost.

The oldest rocket fuel is good old-fashioned gunpowder, still used in fireworks today. There is no free oxygen in there, it is all bound up in the potassium nitrate (saltpetre).

Answer 3

If you want it to self start as soon as you introduce the chemicals (i.e. no spark ignition, and no special igniter mechanism - not even a catalyst) you will need two chemicals that ignite spontaneously when they come into contact. The combination is called 'Hypergolic'. They may not produce as much impulse as some propellants, but for very high reliability systems, they are the obvious choice. A solid propellant such as old fashioned gunpowder is also reliable, but unlike a liquid propellant it is difficult to control the thrust on demand after firing.

Answer 4

Hi ,
The 2 Chemicals are Hydrogen and Oxygen, that is why thy want to fined water on other planets so we can make fuel for further exploration, you would not have the room in conventional rockets to sustain long journey's into space.
Regards, GIG

Answer 5

Fuming Nitric acid and hydrazine are two self-igniting fuels or rather fuel plus oxidizer.

Answer 6

90% Hydrogen Peroxide (very nasty stuff) and Methanol or Kerosene.