Thought experiment:
I take a piece of paper and place it into an argon-filled chamber (all oxygen has been evacuated). I aim infrared lasers at the paper and let them go until the paper is heated to 451 degrees farenheit. What happens to the paper? (BTW, if argon absorbs infrared light or something, please substitute another inert gas, or place the paper in a vacuum.)
Sua
It would probably turn red and turn into dust, but not catch fire. Since you need oxygen to have flame.
Many combustible materials have oxygen bound up in them, at least enough to flare brefly and turn to cinders or ash.
SuaSponte, didn’t you ask this same question a few weeks ago? “Burning” in a vacuum
I believe that the concensus when it came up then was that you’d get charcoal and some gasses given off.
Someone’s forgetting to take his memory pills.
I completely spaced. :o My only excuse (and it’s a poor one) is that I posted the earlier thread on a Friday afternoon, went home for the weekend, and completely forgot about it.
Manny, please close this thread.
Sua