why is that magnesium reacts quickly with steam but not water?
2006-12-17 15:21:33 · 3 answers · asked by Ragh 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
The usual reason why some chemicals don't react with other is that they require an "activation energy", this is probably the case in that water in the liquid state does not have the sufficient energy to form a bond or break the bonds within the magnesium.
2006-12-17 15:25:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Magnesium should have a dangerous when wet and spontaneous combustible sticker/placard and will react to water, maybe the steam just penetrate quicker. What ever you do don't get it around an oxidizer. Be careful with that stuff I have worked with, and played with a lot of chemicals and acids and I found some reactions are so fast you don't even have time to close your eyes.
2006-12-17 23:49:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In what way is that peculiar?
Steam *is* water. It's water in the gas phase, water where the molecules have more freedom of movement and far far greater kinetic energy. *Everything* that reacts with H2O will react more quickly with gas phase H2O than liquid phase, and all chemical reactions go more quickly as temperature is increased.
2006-12-18 00:00:25 · answer #3 · answered by Stephen McNeil 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋