Jinx
Perhaps someone who knows more chemistry than I should field this. Initially I was merely making the point that other things besides carbon based compounds burn, and the exhaust produced depends on the constituents, as well as whether it was a ‘clean’ burn.
In the case of thermite, ferric oxide acts as an oxidizer , while pure aluminum burns (see formula). Pure magnesium does burns. When I say pure, I mean relatively. Even lab grade chemicals contain impurities, but they don’t necessarily contribute to the reaction (same for candles, of course. There’s other stuff besides wax in even the ‘purest’ candle, and this ends up in the exhaust too).
That said, I must admit that I may have made some misstatements. For one, the demonstration involving metals and Bunsen burners is more properly a demonstration of increased energy states and subsequent radiation, rather than burning. I have also seen references to some inorganic burning referred to specifically as oxidation-reduction or redox reactions, while organic compounds burning are referred to as combustion. I’m an analyst/data specialist in a genetics lab, so the specific terminology’s a bit outside my expertise.
“I think it would be a great idea” Mohandas Ghandi’s answer when asked what he thought of Western civilization
“I regret to say that we of the FBI are powerless to act in cases of
oral-genital intimacy, unless in has in some way obstructed interstate
commerce.” – J. Edgar Hoover