how is it that different substances can burn at different temperatures despite all being able to be ignited by the same temp match?

Question

how is it that different substances can burn at different temperatures despite all being able to be ignited by the same temp match?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

So burning in a simple sense is material reacting with oxygen and releasing heat. The heat from that reaction causes more material to heat up and react with oxygen, creating a chain reaction that keeps it burning.

The more reactions with oxygen there are the hotter it gets, so from that first reaction it can become much hotter than the first reaction that started it burning if there is enough oxygen.

That’s why things have different “ignition temperature” (the temperature it starts burning) and “burn temperature” (the temperature it can reach burning in air).

Also if you introduce more oxygen it increases the temperature of a fire, that’s why blowing on a fire makes it burn hotter (unless it’s a small flame and you blow hard enough to blow it out).