MEDELMA@CMS.CC.WAYNE.EDU (Mike Edelman) (07/05/90)
From: Mike Edelman <MEDELMA@CMS.CC.WAYNE.EDU> Iron and aluminum *will* burn; the problem is getting them enough oxidizer. Used in explosives and pyrotechnics, aluminum is finely powdered to increase surface area. You can't light either one in the atmosphere; I've tried :). In using a cutting torch on steel, first the metal is heated to about 2,000F or so (don't really recall an exact number) and then additional oxygen is supplied. The steel burns quite nicely under these conditions, but the action stops immediately when the added oxegyn is cut off.. There is one way to ignite iron and aluminum together; it's called thermite, and was the basis of WWII era firebombs. A mixture of iron oxide and aluminum will burn with an intense heat, the iron oxide providing the O2 for the reaction. The end result is steel and aluminum oxide slag. It may be that the right conditions of high wind from a firestorm or similar effect *might* supply enough oxygen to sustain combustion of either of these metals, but I'm just guessing here. --mike edelman medelma@cms.cc.wayne.edu