What periodic elements make up fire?

Answer 1

fuel, oxygen, heat...remove any one of the three and the fire will go out. At least that's what I remember from some basic safety and fire extinquishing training I attended about 40 years ago.

Examples:

HEAT: A 'dry ice' fire extinguisher cools a fire by rapidly cooling it (removing the heat) and the fire goes out.

OXYGEN: Tossing a large amount of baking soda onto a grease fire in a frying pan will prevent air (and the oxygen in the air) from reaching the burning grease, and the fire goes out. Likewise, if you have a tight fitting lid for the pan (especially like a cast iron pan and lid), putting the lid onto the burning pan and its contents will quickly starve the fire from fresh oxygen and the fire goes out. (Be careful, even if the fire is extinquished it can be hotter than the 'flash point'...remove the cover too soon, fresh air hits the superheated grease, and the fire restarts all over again.) Note that 'Halon Gas' fire extinquisher pipes in Computer Rooms has the same function, it starves the fire from oxygen available in "normal air".

FUEL: And finally, if you have a wood or charcoal fire going in a fire pit, eventually the fuel (wood, charcoal) will all be burnt up, and the fire goes out.

Note it's important to consider what is burning when deciding how to try to put it out. That's why different fire extinquishers have different ratings ('A', 'B', 'C'). Water can be effective in helping extinquish some fires, such as a wood or charcoal fire...it both cools and helps starve the fire from oxygen. But water can be the WORST thing for fighting other types of fires. Tossed onto a grease fire in a frying pan and it will instantly flash off to steam and cause burning oil splatter to go all over the place and spread the flames. Likewise, adding water to an electrical fire can cause additional short circuiting and further feed the flames (as well as increase the chance you may be electricuted while fighting the electrical fire.)

A couple of more examples of how dangerous oxygen can be. Early US Space Capsules used pure oxygen atmospheres for the astronauts to breath. Until a minor electrical short in one of the Apollo Capsules ignited a huge flash fire in the pure oxygen atmosphere, killing three US Apollo astronauts in seconds, while on the pad not even in space. Another example: Steel wool has such excellent intermixing with air that it will actually smolder if a match is put to it. (CAUTION: Do not try this without adult supervision.) But take it to a science lab, try it in a pure oxygen beaker, and rather than smoldering and smoke your steel wool will rapidly burn with a flame. End result: if you see a patient with an oxygen tube, do not let ANYONE SMOKE NEARBY!

Answer 2

carbon atoms and oxygen atoms make up the chemical reactions of fire, but the reason fire shoots upwards is because of the extreme heat pressure, and we can see it because of the byproduct of light.

Answer 3

I think compounds chemically combined through heat would burn, like candle flames - wax plus oxygen plus heat burns.

Answer 4

Nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen (sometimes)

with earths air, fire is possible, but it needs to be started first though.

Answer 5

Fire is just a increase in the glow of a object in a certain area because of increased heat and it continues to burn because it breaks the atomic bonds of the wood and such making more heat.

Answer 6

heat oxgen and fuel

Answer 7

Heat, oxygen and fuel.

Answer 8

Oxygen is needed for a fire to burn.

Answer 9

fire