Question: how do the molecules behave in plasma? how do molecules act when burning?

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  1. This is a difficult question to answer, so I’ll try my best, I hope I have the science right, if one of other scientist might have more to add….

    There are four states of matter – solid, liquid, gas and Plasma.
    Plasma is a gas were all the atoms have been split into electrons, protons and neutrons. So it is like a soup of electrons, protons and neutrons all mixed together but not structured in atoms. This means that a plasma ‘cloud’ behaves as a whole instead of behaving as a bunch of individual atoms.
    Plasma naturally occurs in the sun, stars and supernovas. On earth plasma occurs naturally in flames, lightning and auroras.

    Fire or burning is a chemical reaction where the molecules go through a process of oxidation. Oxidation is the loss of electrons, as the molecules break apart from each other and reform into different molecules. This chemical reaction released heat, light and other products (depending on the molecule being burnt).

    An example is rocket fuel. Which is Hydrogen and Oxygen.
    2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O + heat
    This is 2 molecules of Hydrogen (H2 means two hydrogen atoms stuck together in a molecule) and one molecule of two oxygen atoms. When combustion or burning occurs these molecules are brocken apart and the atoms reform into two water molecules (H2O) and heat.
    In this chemical reaction and the change of the atoms into different molecules, there would be a loss of electrons… but I don’t know where they go? I think the fly off and hit other molucules and this is the chain reaction the causes the burning to continue… but I don’t know… mabey one of the other scientist can add to this…

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  2. @Shona I think you have better explained these concepts than I certainly could! I can’t add any information without being sure. These are pretty difficult questions benji and moshimonsters09! Good work for thinking of them!

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Comments

  1. Oh I figured it out!!!!

    Oxidation: the loss of an electron doesn’t mean the electron is lost in to space. It means that one atom gives its’ outer electron to the other atom so they join together in a new molecule. So the hydrogen atoms goes through oxidation by sharing their only electron with the Oxygen atom, to make water…
    This is what happens when something is burning…

    There is a great illustration here…. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NaF.gif
    The illustration shows sodium (Na) sharing its outer electron with Fluorine (F) to give a new molecule Sodium fluoride.

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