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Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products.
The original mass of flammable material and the mass of the oxygen consumed (typically from the surrounding air) equals the mass of the flame products (ash, water, carbon dioxide, and other gases). Lavoisier used the experimental fact that some metals gained mass when they burned to support his ideas (because those chemical reactions capture ...
The composition of smoke depends on the nature of the burning fuel and the conditions of combustion. Fires with high availability of oxygen burn at a high temperature and with a small amount of smoke produced; the particles are mostly composed of ash, or with large temperature differences, of condensed aerosol of water.
Combustion does not always result in fire, because a flame is only visible when substances undergoing combustion vaporize, but when it does, a flame is a characteristic indicator of the reaction. While activation energy must be supplied to initiate combustion (e.g., using a lit match to light a fire), the heat from a flame may provide enough ...
A flame (from Latin flamma) is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction made in a thin zone. [1] When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density, they are then considered plasma. [vague] [2]
The alchemist and physician J. J. Becher proposed the phlogiston theory.. The phlogiston theory, a superseded scientific theory, postulated the existence of a fire-like element dubbed phlogiston (/ f l ɒ ˈ dʒ ɪ s t ən, f l oʊ-,-ɒ n /) [1] [2] contained within combustible bodies and released during combustion.
Fire was an important factor in expanding and developing societies of early hominids. One impact fire might have had was social stratification. The power to make and wield fire may have conferred prestige and social position. [35] Fire also led to a lengthening of daytime activities and allowed more nighttime activities. [45]
Masked men hurled lengths of wood, chairs and bottles, and sprayed fire extinguishers at officers outside after some 700 people gathered. At least 10 officers were injured, including one who was ...