What is the difference between flammability and oxidation?
In: Chemistry
oxidation is not necessarily an energetic reaction. It simply transfers electrons from one particle to another, forming a chemical bond. In the case of rust, Iron bonds with Oxygen and “oxidizes” into rust. But that process does not create any appreciable heat, and doesn’t catch fire.
Flammability is the ability to catch fire. In the case of highly reactive substances, like Sodium, mixing it with water causes an intense reaction which breaks the chemical bonds of the water, uses part of that to create sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and fills the rest with hydrogen gas, which then immediately catches fire because of the heat formed during the reaction. Result: Big badaboom.
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