Do they get oxygen from the water? Are they not really “burning”?
They are burning, and supply their own oxygen from chemicals:Plastic Igniter Cord Instantaneous Fuse
With the exception of Red Lead and Silicon, all contain potent oxidizers.
WAG: they contian an oxidizer, a chemical that releases oxygen as it breaks down.
That’s how solid rocket boosters work in a vacuum, anyway.
They also have a water proof coating on them. I have some.
For the same reason bombs explode underwater: they contain everything they need for the chemical reaction.
Expanding on what Fear Itself said:
Nitrocellulose is the same thing as smokeless gun powder (more or less).
That particular item doesn’t even “oxidize” per say, but simply breaks down when heated, releasing more heat in the process.
>> That particular item doesn’t even “oxidize” per say
You don’t say!
its exothermal once reacted by the percussion cap.
:rolleyes:
Magnesium and Aluminum burn hot enough that they can dissociate water into hydrogen and oxygen gas.
Underwater flares normally rely on oxygen provided by the pyrotechnic mixture, but the chemical equilibrium between H[sub]2[/sub]O + Mg <—> H[sub]2[/sub] + MgO lies very far to the right.
Firefighters learned this, much to their consternation, in the Chicago Magnesium fire.
I am sure you all saw the videos in school of what happens when you put pure sodium or potassium in water. 