I've come up with a few ideas about it. And one of my ideas revolves around the fable that "if you add water, it spreads the fire."
So, what could kind of do this?
What if we made a highly ionized solution of water and set it aflame. It burns, right? I can't remember exactly how this process works. I believe that
hydrogen gas evolves.
Anyway, it's an idea...
And what about other possible flammable materials people could have obtained long ago? Perhaps if it were a type of oil or grease that easily spread,
then add water would simply spread the oil, and the fire would go with the spread?
[Edited on 13-10-2009 by Edward Elric]hodges - 13-10-2009 at 15:57
Water on an oil fire will definitely cause it to spread. It is because oil boils at a higher temperature than water, therefore it can cause water to
flash-boil, producing steam. This steam blows droplets of oil into the air where it can bet more oxygen and burn faster.
When I was in high school, I used to take old motor oil (salvaged from car oil changes) and place about a half inch of it in a square pie plate. Then
I would add maybe 1/8 inch of water, which would sink below the oil. I then would ignite the oil using a paper towel. Once the oil got hot enough,
the water would boil causing the oil to shoot into the air, making large fireballs. Used to do that as part of my pyrotechnic "shows".
And what about other possible flammable materials people could have obtained long ago? Perhaps if it were a type of oil or grease that easily spread,
then add water would simply spread the oil, and the fire would go with the spread?
