thesmug
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Oxidation and burning
Sorry for this super beginner question but it just popped into my head and I realized I don't really understand what oxidation does in the
process of burning. I understand how oxidation works, but what does it actually do to make things burn?
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Zyklon-A
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Oxidation is when the oxidizer takes an electron from the fuel, the fuel is said to be oxidized, and the oxidizer is said to be reduced. Because it
has an extra electron, it is now an ion. In NaCl, chlorine is reduced, and sodium is oxidized.
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thesmug
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Yes, I understand that, but how does that make the fuel actually burn?
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Töilet Plünger
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Energy is released when bonds form. Thus heat and light are generated.
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thesmug
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Thank you very much Toilet Plunger.
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Zyklon-A
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The metals on the far left of the periodic table are the most reactive, because they have 1 too many electrons, if they lose 1 electron, they become
as stable as the noble gasses, which exactly 8 in their outer shell. So when A group 1 metal, which has 1 electon in its outer shell, loses an
electron, it's stability increases dramatically, as it has the perfect 8 electrons in the outer shell, hence the energy lose. It's the opposite with
the oxidizers. They (in the case of the halogens) need only 1 electron, and then they will have the full 8 in their outer shell. They will move heaven
and earth to get it. The bigger the difference in electronegativeity, between the reactants, the more energy released.
Please forgive any typos and minor errors, it's almost 12.00 pm and I wrote this on my phone.
[Edited on 8-4-2014 by Zyklonb]
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