What type of particles is fire made up of?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter EIRE2003
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Fire Particles Type
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the composition of fire, exploring whether it is made up of particles or is primarily a form of energy. Participants examine various contexts of fire, such as from a stove or a fireplace, and consider the physical and chemical processes involved in combustion.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that fire consists of hot gases, while others argue that it includes heated particles, particularly carbon.
  • One participant claims that fire is mostly energy, prompting a request for clarification on the definition of energy.
  • Another viewpoint posits that fire is a reaction or process rather than a substance made of particles, emphasizing the role of photons emitted during combustion.
  • A participant mentions the idea that fire can be considered matter in the plasma phase, although this is contested by others.
  • There is a description of the process where carbon molecules in fuel break their covalent bonds and become gas, which then emits light as it rises.
  • Some participants note that fire involves the formation of free radicals and ions, which recombine to release energy in the form of heat.
  • Another perspective states that fire is a gaseous chemical reaction involving materials that burn, such as carbon and hydrogen, reacting with oxygen.
  • Several participants express uncertainty about the ability to definitively determine what fire is made of, suggesting it may not be possible to analyze it under a microscope.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether fire is made up of particles or is primarily a form of energy. Multiple competing views are presented, reflecting differing interpretations of fire's nature and composition.

Contextual Notes

Some claims depend on definitions of energy and matter, and there are unresolved questions regarding the phases of matter and the specific processes involved in combustion.

EIRE2003
Messages
107
Reaction score
0
What type of particles is fire made up of?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
It depends on the source. For example the fire on a stove burner is all hot gases, while from a fireplace is a mixture of hot gas and heated particles, where the latter is mainly carbon.
 
fire is mostly energy.
 
Er... hmm. Define energy.

Fire is a reaction, a process - it is not made up of particles. You can't store a bit of fire. The flame we see from fire is energy in the form of photons given out from reactions that are occurring between the fuel and oxygen in the air.
 
I was told that fire is matter in the plasma phase (the 4th phase of matter to which gas is transformed when it is sufficiently heated). Then, I was told that this is wrong. Most recently I have decided that fire is basically what mathman has said. Then, in the case of burning wood, you could explain the orange-red glow as approximately black-body radiation.
 
Last edited:
I heard that the carbon molecules in a fuel are accellerated so fast they break their covelant bonds, and become a gas. The gas rises and is so hot it emits photons, which is the light. As it rises, their is a small low pressure zone in the center of the fire, and that's why it's pointed. I learned this from How Stuff Works.
 
In the process of fire molecules are broken up to form free radicals and ions, and these recombine to form different molecules which have less internal energy, therby releasing energy in the form of heat.
 
EIRE2003 said:
What type of particles is fire made up of?

Anything that burns, it can be carbon, hydrogen, Na natrium (burns in water) plus oxygen or any other agent that acts like oxygen. Flame is a mainly gaseous chemical reaction aura around any material that reacts with any agent like oxygen creating excess heat.
 
Fire is a form of energy so, it would not be made-up of particles. I am not sure that anyone could find out what fire is made of, unless you want to put it under your microscope and find out.
 
  • #10
Yggdrasil said:
Fire is a form of energy so, it would not be made-up of particles. I am not sure that anyone could find out what fire is made of, unless you want to put it under your microscope and find out.

Challenging idea, Bingo! Well whatever is the fire itself made of, the final result is sut, water, etc. etc.
 

Similar threads

High School Why did Rutherford conclude the atom was mostly empty space?
  • · Replies 27 ·
Replies
27
Views
2K
High School Can you create neutronium by colliding electrons and protons?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Pacific Palisades Fire Threatening Santa Monica, California
  • · Replies 125 ·
5
Replies
125
Views
7K
What Does Three-Alarm Fire Indicate in Emergency Codes?
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
5K
Writing: Input Wanted How to Handle a Fire Onboard a Generation Ship?
  • · Replies 74 ·
3
Replies
74
Views
7K
How long before this type of metal roof will melt in a house fire?
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
5K
Undergrad Hall effect in P-type semiconductors: electron-centric heuristic?
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
3K
Elephant toothpaste to fight fires?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
High School Doping in semicondctors (n type)
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
Graduate Thermodynamics of a Fire Resistant Safe
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K