2007-03-26 06:19:59 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
spontaneous combustion accurs 2 ways.
#1 most materials have a tempature at which they will readily ignight. for example if a room is on fire and the tempature in the room reaches the ignition tempature of those materials they will ignite on there own which is spontaneus combustion. typicaly known as flashover. remember when a material like wood burns it is not really the wood that is burning it is the gasses coming off of the wood that is burning and the tempature of the wood has to be to produce those gasses in the woods flash point.
#2 spontaneous ombustion can be caused by a reaction that produces heat. for example if you store rags with oil, cleaner, etc together there is a chemical reaction that produces heat. the process is very complicated and would be easier to look up on the web. another example would be storing wet bales of hay tightly together the same reaction inside the bales would cause enough heat to reach the hay's ignition tempature and would spontaneously combust.
2007-03-26 06:42:22 · answer #1 · answered by sprinklermedic 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
"Spontaneous combustion" is a bit of a misnomer. Spontaneous combustion requires certain ingredients and conditions and some time. It doesn't just happen all of a sudden. The chemistry must work for some time, maybe minutes, days or weeks. to build up enough heat for the fuel to finally burst into flames. It's about as spontaneous as a demonstration which has been planned for weeks, or a clever quip that you've had in your head for days, waiting for the right opportunity to use it. Like Dudley Moore said in one of those Niel Simon movies, being spontaneous requires a great deal of preparation.
2007-03-26 13:28:08 · answer #2 · answered by PoppaJ 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Oxidation such as with a pile of oily rags. The oxidation causes heat, if the heat is trapped and cannot escape then poof!
Fermentation (basically a particular form of oxidation) such as may occur with wheat or grasses in a silo. If the heat created by the fermentation cannot escape, then the introduction of oxygen can create combustion.
2007-03-26 13:28:23 · answer #3 · answered by the foolish fox 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Spontaneous combustion can have several meanings:
The self-ignition, or apparent self-ignition, and burning of any mass; often of highly flammable materials, such as a pile of oily rags; see spontaneous combustion (combustion).
Spontaneous human combustion is the alleged phenomenon of a human being suddenly bursting into flames.
look here:http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu99KAQhGUM4AC4BXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE3NmUyaDNtBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMwRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANGODI0XzE0MA--/SIG=12doe58fk/EXP=1175016138/**http%3a//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_human_combustion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_combustion_%28combustion%29
2007-03-26 13:23:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Lighting up a cigarette after swimming in gasoline.
2007-03-26 13:22:45 · answer #5 · answered by Agent Smith 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
farting near open flames
2007-03-26 13:23:02 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
I don't know.. but that would suck!
2007-03-26 13:22:14 · answer #7 · answered by E 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋