2007-07-16 09:47:09 · 8 answers · asked by paul j 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Water itself is fully reacted with oxygen. It wants no more. Therefore you can add as much as you want and stillget no fire. The reason it extinguishes fire is that it displaces oxygen and wets the surface further preventing oxygen getting to the hot parts. Not to mention cooling helps too.
2007-07-16 09:52:32 · answer #1 · answered by billgoats79 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
When hydrogen burns it combines with oxygen to form water, which is a stable compound. Therefore the hydrogen contained in the water is not available to burn again when exposed to heat/flames. Water puts out fire since it both absorbs heat from the source (whilst the water heats up and eventually evaporates) and the water also cuts out the source of air(oxygen) to the item which is burning.
2007-07-17 08:19:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
there are only 2 kinds of reactions: oxydations and reductions, that is the same reaction: it's just a movement of electrons between atoms.
why i'm saying this ?
because when hydrogen burns with oxygen it gives the electron to the oxygen, so we say that the oxygen has oxydized the hydrogen.
so you can call water as hydrogen oxide.
an oxide cannot burn anymore (there are exceptions, but for semplicity...) so water can extinguish fire.
in other words the hydrogen in water has given the only electron it has to the oxygen (making a bond) and now it's "happy" and doesn't burn (react) anymore.
the oxygen has received the 2 electrons (H2O remember ?) and now it has no intention to react anymore, it has reached a so called stable configuration.
2007-07-16 17:21:11 · answer #3 · answered by scientific_boy3434 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water can out a fire because it is in different physical state from hydrogen gas as well as oxygen gas. Fire uses oxygen gas in order to burn. Oxygen gas is made up of to oxygen atoms and the same goes for hydrogen gas.
Water is a molecule made up of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom therefore the characteristics of this molecule differ from the characteristics of the two individual gases.
2007-07-17 09:43:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As far as I remember from chemistry GCSE, fire needs three things, often depicted as a triangle: heat, fuel and oxygen. Water puts out fire by reducing the heat, and also by blocking the oxygen from getting to the flames.
2007-07-16 16:57:39 · answer #5 · answered by Daniel R 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The two gases that make up water are vastly different in their properties to those of water.
And, water is a very jealous substance. It doesn't want any more water to join it and its friends so, it prevents its formation by cooling the fuels that produce it and smothers the reaction by changing to huge volumes of steam and ending the mating ritual by blocking out one of the participants, namely, oxygen.
2007-07-16 23:25:08 · answer #6 · answered by Norrie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because H2O is stable and because the fire's energy goes into heating the water and blocking the oxygen and removing heat
2007-07-16 16:52:07 · answer #7 · answered by SS4 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think that has to be one of the best questions i have ever seen on here!!!!
2007-07-16 16:54:58 · answer #8 · answered by Sue 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋