HOT Fire trucks be strong be brave be humble poster

Davids Edwards
4 min readApr 6, 2021

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Fire is the sudden burning out of a matter in the exothermic chemical process of chemical combustion, generating energy, heat, and many various reaction products with a given frequency. In chemistry, “fire” is used as a synonym for “combustion,” a term describing the process by which matter is made to attain a highly heated state by consuming oxygen in the presence of an excess quantity of carbon dioxide. The heat is used to raise the temperature of the metal through combustion. Although it sometimes occurs naturally in some forms of matter (as in the burning of an egg on a stove), fire is most often developed artificially in a forge or a laboratory, requiring intense study and care in its development and use.

Fire, as it is used in chemistry, is a reaction between two chemicals that produce a change in their relationship. The most common and well-known types of chemical reactions involving heat are: oxidation (reduction of an element’s electrons from a positive seat), division (gain of an electron from a seat with a negative charge), fusion (release of a molecule from a larger compound by exposing it to an extra electron), and thermodynamics (heat production). These reactions may be slow or fast, depending upon the nature of the substances involved. Owing to their very nature, however, all these chemical reactions are accompanied by changes in the environment, some of which are vital to the success of the entire process and others that may have an impact on the outcome.

An example of such a change is found in oxygen and carbon dioxide. As carbon dioxide absorbs oxygen in the atmosphere, the presence of excess oxygen in the surrounding air causes the carbon atoms to split, creating carbonic acid. This acid combines with the remaining air in contact with the surface of the reagents to form water vapor. That is, it diffuses heat in the immediate vicinity. In order for this chemical reaction to occur, therefore, the presence of both an excess of oxygen and an excess of water in the surrounding air needs to be present.

Obviously, such a scenario is unlikely — the presence of oxygen and excess heat in the surrounding air is vital to the success of any chemical reaction. But how can it be possible to create a fire under these conditions? In fact, one possible solution lies in the design of modern fireplaces. It has long been thought that the spark produced during a traditional fireplace heat process was, in all likelihood, derived from a chemical reaction between oxygen and the amino acids present in wood.

Alternatively, oxygen itself may have played a part in the evolution of fire. Natural oxygen is highly reactive, releasing free radicals into the surrounding air when it reacts with other chemicals and the amino acids in the matter. However, humans have been able to control the release of free radicals using antioxidants. And controlling the chemical reactions in a way that does not involve oxygen, as well as the amino acids they contain, seems to be a solution to the problem faced by a spark-driven, oxygen-requiring fire. If there are no free radicals to react with, then there is no need for the spark.

The alternative to using oxygen as a catalyst in order to create a fire is simple: use a non-combustion ignition system. Such systems do not rely on the spark created in a fireplace, but rather provide a steady source of heat (and, in a small number of cases, a source of light) without relying on oxygen to ignite the fuel. This makes non-combustion systems perfect for places where there are no flammable liquids or other types of substances that could cause a fire to catch fire quickly. Additionally, such systems can be used to provide heat or light for a limited period of time; for instance, they may be sufficient for starting a fireplace in the event of a power outage or may be enough to provide warmth for a cabin in the middle of the winter.

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