• Question: why is oxygen needed to burn fuels

    Asked by jsliverpool to Ailsa, Evan, James, Kath, Ryan on 15 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Ailsa Powell

      Ailsa Powell answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Fire is a form of oxidation. When a fuel burns it is reacting with the oxygen to produce heat, smoke and various gases.

    • Photo: Evan Keane

      Evan Keane answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Ailsa’s answer says it all 🙂

    • Photo: Kath O'Reilly

      Kath O'Reilly answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      bonds of molecules with Oxygen produce lots of energy when they are broken

    • Photo: Ryan Ladd

      Ryan Ladd answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      The others have said a lot but it’s worth noting that some things can “burn” without oxygen.

      I would describe burning as a chemical reaction which gives out heat and, usually, light. Fuels burning with oxygen is probably the most common but there are others!

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