Eli5 how is it that hydrogen is explosive to fire and oxygen stokes it. However 1 hydrogen 2 oxygen isn’t explosive?
In: 2
The properties of molecules comes largely from the outer electrons of the atoms and how they are arranged. When atoms are combined in molecules those electrons and their composition are changed so the molecule has different properties than the atoms it is made out of.
Hydrogen is explosive because it binds with oxygen and in the process two hydrogen pairs and an oxygen pair are broken up, ~~which releases energy~~, the now single oxygens bind with two free hydrogen atoms *which releases energy*, and forms water molecule for each hydrogen atom.
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