Does fire burn hotter/more easily if the oxygen % in the atmosphere is higher?

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Been thinking about different atmosphere’s for sci-fi planets and the like, and I know that (allegedly) if there was 5% more oxygen on earth, then bugs and insects would grow to be much, much larger. Apparently the higher oxygen concentration in the early years of our planet is why there was so much megafauna (smth about cyanobacteria?), but how would that affect the way things burn? Since oxygen is incredibly flammable, I would assume that more oxygen = bigger flame, but usually that’s pure oxygen.

tl;dr

How does oxygen concentration affect the way things burn?

In: Chemistry

8 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Yes, everything burns better with more oxygen. This also includes some things spontaneously igniting or burning that normally wouldn’t – for example in pure oxygen at 1 atmosphere, steel will burn and certain oils would self-ignite even at room temperature.

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