eli5: explain invisible fire.

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In a petrochemical industry seminar, a guy told about invisible fire (only heat can be felt) he said it’s very dangerous and has a lot of potential for burning. What chemic causes invisible fire? if fire is defined as the chemical reaction that produces heat and light, how is it invisible?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

“Fire” is not an object. It is a chemical reaction, which releases gases and energy. Most of the time, that energy takes the form of both heat and photons in a wavelength you can see.

But there are also other wavelengths of light which you can’t see. That’s what invisible fire creates: it’s not that it *doesn’t* create light, it’s just that you can’t *see* the light it creates. It could be infrared, or (more likely) ultraviolet.

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