CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF FIRE - Fire is the result of a chemical reaction called combustion. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are produced. Flames consist primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen, and nitrogen. Most of the matter in a flame consists of hot gases. Fire emits heat and light because the chemical reaction that produces flames is exothermic.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

What Is Fire Made Of?

The Chemical Composition of Fire

byAnne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. 

What is fire made of? You know that it generates heat and light, but have you ever wondered about its chemical composition or state of matter?

Chemical Composition of Fire

Fire is the result of a chemical reaction called combustion. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are produced.

Flames consist primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen, and nitrogen.

State of Matter of Fire

In a candle flame or small fire, most of the matter in a flame consists of hot gases.

A very hot fire releases enough energy to ionize the gaseous atoms, forming the state of matter called plasma.

Examples of flames that contain plasma include those produced by plasma torches and the thermite reaction.

Why Fire Is Hot

Fire emits heat and light because the chemical reaction that produces flames is exothermic.

In other words, combustion releases more energy than is needed to ignite or sustain it.

In order for combustion to occur and flames to form, three things must be present: fuel, oxygen, and energy (usually in the form of heat).

Once energy starts the reaction, it continues so long as fuel and oxygen are present.

Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

·   Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville - Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

·   Science educator with experience teaching chemistry, biology, astronomy, and physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

·   ThoughtCo and About Education chemistry expert since 2001.

·   Widely-published graphic artist, responsible for printable periodic tables and other illustrations used in science.

Experience

Anne Helmenstine, Ph.D. has covered chemistry for ThoughtCo and About Education since 2001, and other sciences since 2013. She taught chemistry, biology, astronomy, and physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels. She has worked as a research scientist and also abstracting and indexing diverse scientific literature for the Department of Energy.

In addition to her work as a science writer, Dr. Helmenstine currently serves as a scientific consultant, specializing in problems requiring an interdisciplinary approach. Previously, she worked as a research scientist and college professor. 

Education

Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a B.A. in physics and mathematics with a minor in chemistry from Hastings College. In her doctoral work, Dr. Helmenstine developed ultra-sensitive chemical detection and medical diagnostic tests.

ThoughtCo and Dotdash

ThoughtCo is a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are one of the top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers seek answers to their questions on ThoughtCo.

For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and recently Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry publication.

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-fire-made-of-607313