# ozone combustion?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ozone-combustion/57326
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 9, 2001, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ozone-combustion/57326 "2001-03-09T06:55:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2001, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ozone-combustion/57326/1 "2001-03-09T06:55:00Z")
If you want to burn something, use an atmosphere of pure oxygen. A closed combustion chamber full of oxygen at several times sea-level air pressure can combust just about any fuel.
Such logic is a given
Q.E.D.
Regular oxygen contains 2 atoms.
Ozone has 3 atoms.
I know ozone is more chemically active than regular oxygen, but can it support combustion?
Can it be stored in a pressurised cylinder or as a liquid, or does it decompose back into oxygen?
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2001, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ozone-combustion/57326/2 "2001-03-09T12:35:34Z")
I’m sure you can use it- you can even use florine or chlorine as an oxidizer in some if not most cases. As to wheater or not it would become O2 under pressure - my WAG is some would over time but it would take a while
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### Author:  [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2001, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ozone-combustion/57326/3 "2001-03-09T13:51:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by enolancooper \*
> \*\*Can [ozone] be stored in a pressurised cylinder or as a liquid, or does it decompose back into oxygen? \*\*
This page about [oxygen](http://pearl1.lanl.gov/periodic/elements/8.html) also gives the properties of ozone.
It says that undiluted ozone gas is bluish, liquid ozone is bluish black, and solid ozone is violet-black. It also says ozone is highly reactive, but not whether it is a good combustion supporter.
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### Author:  [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2001, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ozone-combustion/57326/4 "2001-03-09T14:07:06Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by enolancooper \*
> \*\*I know ozone is more chemically active than regular oxygen, but can it support combustion?
>
> Can it be stored in a pressurised cylinder or as a liquid, or does it decompose back into oxygen? \*\*
Yes, it can support combusiton quite well. Fortunately, it is uncommon to find it stored in many areas, except at water treatment plants and house cleaner’s. See [here](http://www.fema.gov/emi/is346/pdf/346unt2.pdf), page 6.
Also, from [here](http://www.schiff-consulting.com/fire.html):
> [@](#):
>
> Ozone has a tremendous capacity to oxidize Substances, and does so hundreds of times more rapidly than chlorine. It also disinfects three to four times more efficiently than chlorine.
>
> Ozone s third atom of oxygen has a strong tendency to break away and attach itself to other substances, such as trace amounts of odour-causing residual soot. Just as fire oxidizes organic matter and changes one substance to another, ozone destroys the remaining odour-causing trace substances and converts them to carbon dioxide and water.
The propensity of ozone to decompose into O[sub]2[/sub] and O is given by it’s equilibrium constants, which are affected maily by the temperature involved. Thus, if you keep it at a low temperature, you will have less decomposition occuring.