Fire and Explosives – Chemistry in a Hurry

Fire and explosives are, at heart, the same chemistry running at wildly different speeds: rapid oxidation releasing energy. This episode covers the fire triangle, why flames take the shape and colour they do, what activation energy means, and what genuinely separates an explosive from an ordinary fuel — strictly the underlying science, with no preparation methods, formulations, quantities or procedures discussed.

You'll come away understanding what combustion actually is at the molecular level, the three ingredients every fire needs and how each is used to put a fire out, why some materials ignite far more easily than others, the difference between deflagration and detonation, and how this same fast chemistry is safely harnessed in car engines, mining, demolition and the airbag in a steering wheel.

Talking Science is sponsored by Kinsoft. Visit www.kinsoft.com.au

Further reading: CSIRO – bushfire behaviour and fire science research; Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) – public fire science resources; Nature – reviews on combustion chemistry; Nobel Prize organisation – background on Alfred Nobel and the history of explosives safety.