Thursday, September 4, 2014

Is this paper cup inflammable?

Why is this paper cup not bursting into flames? Well the reason is because their is water inside it.  The temperature that paper needs to get to to ignite is 218 degrees Celsius.  The boiling point of water is 100 degrees Celsius.  When water is boiled the hydrogen bonds that are created with partial charges break and the water goes into a gaseous state. When it does this it takes energy away from the system and into the air that it went into.  So when this cup has water in it, the water boils away and keeps the system below 100 degrees Celsius so the paper cannot ignite. 

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