Why Doesn't Cooking Chicken in Aluminum Foil Cause an Explosion?

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SUMMARY

Cooking chicken in aluminum foil does not cause an explosion due to the corrosion-resistant properties of aluminum, which is passivated by its own protective oxide layer. This oxide layer significantly limits the amount of hydrogen gas produced when aluminum reacts with steam. The discussion confirms that the risk of a dangerous reaction is minimal, as the conditions necessary for an explosive reaction are not met in typical cooking scenarios.

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Bipolarity
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Straight off of one of my textbooks:
"Cooking a chicken with pure aluminium foil should be a dangerous activity. This is because the aluminium metal would react with the steam given off from the chicken to produce aluminium oxide and hydrogen... BANG! Can you explain why this does not happen? ""

I feel that this does not happen because aluminium is corrosion resistant with its own protective oxide coat, but I have a feeling there are other possible explanations.

Discuss.

BiP
 
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Sounds correct to me, aluminum foil is passivated with oxides, so amount of hydrogen that can be produced is way too low.
 

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