Why does both cold water and boiling water stop a fire from being lit on an object? I understand that it does, but what exactly stops it?
In: Chemistry
A few things happen when you dump water on a fire. The first is the water is a lot colder than whatever is burning (burning wood, for example, can reach temperatures of 2000°F), so the water cools it off just by absorbing heat from the burning material, and lower temperatures mean less combustion. The water also boils off, which takes a lot of energy, cooling the material further. On top of that, the water vapor that results from boiling dispaces oxygen, which is necessary for combustion, so the rate of combustion is reduced further. At a certain point, temperatures are low enough and enough oxygen has been displaced that combustion is no longer possible, so the fire goes out.
Latest Answers