What are the condition necessary for combustion?
For example, gasoline burns because it has fuel, air provides oxygen, and a spark supplies the heat.
Combustion can be complete (producing CO₂ and water) or incomplete (producing CO or soot), depending on oxygen availability.
Additionally, a chain reaction must be maintained for continuous combustion. Removing any one of these elements will extinguish the fire.
Without sufficient oxygen, the reaction may be smoky and produce toxic gases, even if fuel and heat are present.
High humidity, lack of oxygen, or absence of fuel can prevent combustion even if heat is applied.
Tip: Fire safety measures focus on removing one element of the triangle to control or prevent fire.
In laboratory settings, combustion experiments demonstrate the importance of all three conditions being present simultaneously.
Some chemical reactions can also self-sustain once started, but the initial ignition source is always necessary.
Combustion requires three essential elements, often called the fire triangle: 1. Fuel – any combustible material 2. Oxygen – from air or another oxidizer 3. Heat – sufficient to initiate the reaction