True or false: Wood and other fuels that undergo combustion reactions don’t spontaneously catch on fire just because they are surrounded by oxygen. ood and other fuels that undergo combustion reactions don’t spontaneously catch on fire just because they are surrounded by oxygen.
I don't know what "ood" is (perhaps food) but I agree. Do you know why wood doesn't spontaneously burst into flames even though it is surrounded by oxygen. (BTW, the combustion of wood IS a spontaneous reaction). If you don't know why, look up activation energy and read about it. You'll learn something extra today.
False. Wood and other fuels that undergo combustion reactions can catch fire spontaneously if they are surrounded by oxygen and have reached their ignition temperature. The ignition temperature is the minimum temperature that a substance must reach in order to sustain combustion. Once the fuel reaches this temperature, it can ignite and continue to burn as long as there is sufficient oxygen and the fuel supply is not depleted.
True. Wood and other fuels that undergo combustion reactions do not spontaneously catch on fire just because they are surrounded by oxygen. Fire requires three elements to exist: fuel, oxygen, and heat. This is often represented as the fire triangle. While oxygen is necessary for combustion to occur, it is not sufficient by itself to start a fire. Heat must be added to the fuel in order to initiate and sustain the combustion reaction. So, simply surrounding wood and other fuels with oxygen will not cause them to spontaneously catch on fire.
