On 4/11/98 3:14 AM so and so Scott Gardner said. (And I quote)
>Here's hoping for some help from the chemist-types on the list. I've
>always assumed that pure oxygen is extremely flammable. If this is
>true, what is the chemical reaction for the combustion process? If
>it's a pure oxygen environment, the left side of the equation will be
>just oxygen (Mostly diatomic oxygen, or O2). Since it's a
>non-nuclear reaction, the right side must be solely oxygen as well.
>Is all the energy released simply from O2 molecules breaking up into
>monatomic oxygen atoms? If that's the case, am I to assume that
>monatomic oxygen isn't flammable? Could we breathe it?
> Sorry if this seems stupid. This isn't another one of my brain
>teasers. I just got to thinking about it, and can't come up with a
>good answer.
>Scott
Water
H20
Larry B. Macy, Ph.D.
macy@bblmail.psycha.upenn.edu
System Manager/Administrator
Neuropsychiatry Section
Department of Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania
3400 Spruce St. - 10 Gates
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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