Fire powerpoint

1. By: Audrey Priddy

2.  Fire was one of the first
discoveries made by
man. Since then it has
been used for light,
heat, cooking,
destroying, and so
much more. Today, fire
is the cause of death for
more people in America
than all other natural
disasters put together
(Rohrig 3).

3.  Fires are caused by an oxidation reaction called
combustion. This is an exothermic reaction
because it releases heat and energy (Pawela 1).
The products of all combustion reactions are
carbon dioxide and water. Some believe that
only fuel, heat, and oxygen, which are known
as the fire triangle, are needed to start a fire
(Elements 1), but to keep a fire going one more
component is needed. The final component is
the ability to form a chain reaction, which will
keep the fire going. These four components are
known as the fire tetrahedron (Chemistry 1).

4.  Fuel
 Heat
 Oxygen
 Chain reaction

5. FUEL HEAT
Fuel…
 Can be anything that
burns
 Must be at a kindling
temperature
 Heat generally comes
from a fire.
 It can also come from
other sources.

6. OXYGEN CHAIN REACTION
 Oxygen doesn’t burn
but is still an important
part of the fire.
 A chain reaction must
form, or the fire will just
burn out.

7.  To extinguish the fire, all you have to do is take
away any of the four parts of the tetrahedron.

8.  Alternatively, you can also intensify the fire in
multiple ways by “increasing the overall rate of
combustion.” One way is by adding a catalyst,
which will speed up the combustion reaction
enabling the chain reaction to speed up as well
(Chemistry 1).

9.  Fire is a tool necessary for so many activities.
 For some people, it can be a means of survival.
 For some ecosystems, it’s a means of
reproduction.

10.  Chemistry of a Fire. St. Bonaventure University, n.d. Web. 27 Apr.
2013. <http://www.sbu.edu/campus-life.aspx?id=37468>.
 "Elements of Fire." ThinkQuest. 4-H Member's Manual, n.d. Web.
28 Apr. 2013.
<http://library.thinkquest.org/J002283F/chem.htm>.
 Pawela, Barbara. "Chemistry of Fire." Illinios Institute of Technology.
Virtual Science Centre Project Team, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.
<http://mypages.iit.edu/~smart/pawebar/lesson3.html>.
 Rohrig, Brian. "The Chemistry of Arson Investigation."
ChemMatters Apr. 2008: 12-14. Print.