2007-08-09 18:55:19 · 10 answers · asked by bigsexydug 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
As a lot of people have said, only a portion of the air is oxygen. More importantly, it's the combination of the gases which can dramatically change the expected result.
To give you a classical example take two parts hydrogen (highly combustible) with one part oxygen (supports combustion) and what do you get? Water, which of course puts out fires!
Funny old world, innit!
2007-08-10 07:11:13 · answer #1 · answered by brainyandy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oxygen is not flammable. Pure oxygen is NOT explosive. Please disregard the well-meant but utterly wrong comments above.
Rather, oxygen is what needs to be present for flammable substances to burn. Even at 100% concentration, oxygen can't react with itself, which is why you don't see the entire atmosphere exploding.
To sustain a fire, you need three things:
1. Fuel
2. Oxygen
3. Heat
If you lose ANY one of the three, the fire will go out. Different firefighting techniques try to deprive the fire of one or more of these things.
When heated, the fuel reacts with the oxygen, producing more heat, which causes more fuel to react with the oxygen. When you activate an ordinary lighter, butane (the fuel) is ejected from the lighter, mixing with the oxygen in the air. The flint simultaneously creates a spark - a tiny piece of white-hot material, which ignites the fuel-air mixture. The heat of the flame sustains the reaction as more butane is supplied.
2007-08-10 02:14:34 · answer #2 · answered by lithiumdeuteride 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Interesting question. You see, if you study the percentage of oxygen in the air, it is only 21% compared to nitrogen, which is at a whopping 78%. The large number of nitrogen in the air prevents flames from getting too strong (fire is a "bad master") and burning up easily. Oxygen does fuel flames, but the nitrogen acts as a slow retardant to prevent it from going out of control. That is why, if our air was only made up of oxygen, forest fires would burn... like MAD!!!
P.S. I think lithiumdeuteride is talking... so mething that I don't know about.
2007-08-10 09:35:11 · answer #3 · answered by bio-nana121 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Air is less than half oxygen. Pure oxygen would explode. There is not enough oxygen in regular air to explode.
2007-08-10 02:00:19 · answer #4 · answered by siamesedharma 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
because of the percentage of oxygen in the air we breathe is only small where as if the oxygen content was significantly higher you would most definately be consumed in a fire ball every time you smoked
2007-08-10 14:06:03 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the air that is surrounding us is not purely oxygen. Only a pure concentration of oxygen can ignite a flame.
2007-08-10 08:57:00 · answer #6 · answered by >_< 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because the air you breathe is mostly nitrogen and a few other inert gasses. Oxygen makes up a reletively small percentage of "air"
2007-08-10 01:59:24 · answer #7 · answered by blondecougaress 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The air isn't made out of pure oxygen, which is explosive, but a mix including nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, methane, etc.
2007-08-10 02:00:15 · answer #8 · answered by Nexus6 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
thats only with high concentration of oxygen. for our atmosphere, its only 21% and u breathe in only 16% which is not high.
2007-08-10 01:59:28 · answer #9 · answered by logic 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
everything burns at different rates ,so everything requires different amounts of oxygen to burn
regards x Kitti x
2007-08-10 02:00:43 · answer #10 · answered by misskitti7® 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋