Hydrogen is explosive. Oxygen helps a fire burn. Waters made of Hydrogen and Oxygen, so why doesn't water burn?
2007-07-17 13:06:15 · 19 answers · asked by Geoff E 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
One thing that must be remembered is that compounds (two or more elements chemically combined) have completely different properties to the original elements. Take Salt (Sodium Chloride) for an example. You wouldn't eat Sodium or drink Chlorine. But you eat the compound! So with water, H2O, it is not going to burn because, as previous answerers have said, it is already burnt. Oxidisation is Compustion. H2O is Burnt Hydrogen basically, and its properties are completely different to the original elements. Another example; Iron and Sulphur. Iron is a metal, magnetic, conducts electricity and Grey. Sulphur is non metal, Non magnetic and yellow, when you heat them together, they form a solid black substance called Iron Sulphide, which is not magnetic, not yellow or grey, and does not conduct electricity.
2007-07-18 23:31:18 · answer #1 · answered by TOM 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Water in its standard state can not burn as the bond strength between the H and O atoms are strong. Though it can be burnt if the heat is great enough to split the hydrogen and oxygen bonds. Steam is the first state of decomposition which again is not flammable so more energy must be provided, in theory a state can occur where the hydrogen - oxygen bond will part. Electrolysis of water however would be my favourite to spilt the water molecule providing hydrogen and oxygen separately which then can the be re-combined to produce combustion. Is this not one way of providing free fuel using the suns rays to produce electricity via a solar panel, collect the hydrogen and oxygen for later use from electrolysis. Could therefore be used to power engines etc...
2007-07-21 12:02:53 · answer #2 · answered by pildriver69 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water doesn't burn because it's already an ash.(already burnt or a result of burning, i.e, addition of oxygen or oxidation) You are correct that water is made of oxygen and hydrogen, and you are also correct that hydrogen is flammable. However, oxygen is not flammable. Oxygen is an oxidizer, that is, it supports combustion. A jet of oxygen will NOT burn in air! When oxygen and hydrogen are mixed, they can chemically combine, generating lots of heat energy. When this reaction is complete, the product is water. So,
water is what is created when hydrogen burns. (hence ASH)
Ritu
2007-07-17 13:13:46 · answer #3 · answered by ritukiran16 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It already has burned. Burning is oxidation, meaning oxygen is combined with the fuel, and in this case the fuel, hydrogen, has already been combined with the oxygen. In a way you could consider water the "ash" of burning hydrogen in oxygen.
2007-07-17 13:09:34 · answer #4 · answered by jxt299 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well what is another name for water? dihydrogen monoxide. Oxides generally don't undergo further oxidation (via combustion) because they have become fully oxidised in the first instance.
Think about it on a molecular level, the bond strengths between highly electronegative oxygen and weakly electronegative hydrogen are extremely strong, heat from combustion just isn't enough (coupled with the intermolecular hydrogen bonding as well). In comparison the C-H bonds in most fuels (propene, butane etc) are sufficiently weak enough to be broken by heat energy during combustion.
2007-07-17 13:31:46 · answer #5 · answered by Tsumego 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When something burns it combines with oxygen. Water is the result to
hydrogen "burning"... it already combined with oxygen. You really could
say that it already burnt and therefore will not burn again. A simple
answer.
Larry Krengel...
2007-07-18 02:04:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In a sense water ( in the form of steam) is technically already burnt. ( burnt hydrogen) Water also has a high latent heat of vapourisation and can "absorb" a lot of heat energy. If the temperature i even high enough to burn it it will simply evaporate not getting a chance to burn further.
2007-07-18 03:02:00 · answer #7 · answered by haile d 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It does burn! When you pass gas! Humans are almost entirely made up of water and when some of the water in the gets burnt it is released as gas and you may know it to be called as a "fart". That is all.
2007-07-17 14:43:39 · answer #8 · answered by 54321 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Water is a stable compound which means it will not burn.
2007-07-21 10:00:19 · answer #9 · answered by SOAP WATCHER 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a stable compound. There is nothing to make it unstable. All of the electrons are accounted for with no way for them to bond with those of other elements.
2007-07-17 13:11:12 · answer #10 · answered by ME 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋