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Why is oxygen so high percentage of the explosive?

Updated: 8/17/2019
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Because an explosion is nothing more than a rapid burning. And what is needed to burn something? oxygen. If oxygen is present in the explosive itself, it doesn't have to be scavanged out of the air, which is the speed limiting step, thus making a much more rapid "burning" possible.

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Q: Why is oxygen so high percentage of the explosive?
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Why doesn't oxygen in an oxyacetylene torch burn without the acetylene yet medical oxygen is explosive?

Oxygen is not actually explosive. In an acetylene torch, the torch burns the acetylene and the oxygen only facilitates combustion, so it is not burning the oxygen. Hospitals warn of the explosion hazard of oxygen because pure oxygen accelerates the burn of fuel so fast that it is like an explosion. In common air there is roughly 79% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, all fuels must have oxygen to burn and when pure oxygen is introduced the fire then has more oxygen thus it accelerates the fire.


Which gases are very explosive?

Of the elemental gases and under normal conditions, hydrogen is explosive in the presence of air or oxygen. Under normal conditions there are a large number of inorganic and organic compounds that are explosive gases. Methane, CH4, is explosive in the same way hydrogen is, and so it ethane, propane, butane, .... Gases that are explosive in and of themselves are the various compounds of Nitrogen: NO NO2 N2O2


Why is liquid potassium chlorate so explosive with gummi bears?

Potassium chlorate contains oxygen atoms. These allow the sugar in the Gummi Bear to burn.


What is the percentage mass of oxygen in cocaine?

Cocaine is C17H21NO4 and has a molar mass of 303.353 g/mole. Mass of oxygen in cocaine is 4x16 = 64. So, % oxygen by mass is 64/303.353 (x100) = 21% (to 2 sig. figs)


What caused the proportion of oxygen in the atmosphere to increase?

Plants started to grow on the earth, plants breath in carbon dioxide (which is why it decreased so much) and they breath out oxygen. That is why the percentage of oxygen has increased so much.


Which is more explosive TNT or Liquid oxygen?

liquid oxygen is in effect more explosive than tnt, but by means they are different. liquid oxygen is not explosive at all without the other chemicals, where all tnt needs is heat, making tnt easier to use. also, one must the fact that tnt is more practical in that it is easier to come by. so, if you put the same effort into aquiring them both, you would end up with enough tnt to make a larger explosion than the one made by the amount of liquid oxygen you would aquire.


What is high explosive?

A high explosive is a chemical or mixture that undergoes detonation and has a high detonation wave speed (in the thousands of feet per second). Some examples of high explosives are nitroglycerine, dynamite, TNT, ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO), torpex, composition B, C-4, fuel-air explosive, RDX, baratol, amatol, nitrogen triiodide, Mercury fulminate, sodium azide, etc. Note: Blackpowder is not a high explosive but the US DOT classifies it as a high explosive solely due to the ease with which it can be accidentally ignited. Other low explosives are not so easily ignited so the US DOT classifies them as what they actually are. Blackpowder and other low explosives undergo deflagration (not detonation) and only burn very rapidly (never forming a detonation wave in the material).


What is a high explosive?

A high explosive is a chemical or mixture that undergoes detonation and has a high detonation wave speed (in the thousands of feet per second). Some examples of high explosives are nitroglycerine, dynamite, TNT, ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO), torpex, composition B, C-4, fuel-air explosive, RDX, baratol, amatol, nitrogen triiodide, mercury fulminate, sodium azide, etc. Note: Blackpowder is not a high explosive but the US DOT classifies it as a high explosive solely due to the ease with which it can be accidentally ignited. Other low explosives are not so easily ignited so the US DOT classifies them as what they actually are. Blackpowder and other low explosives undergo deflagration (not detonation) and only burn very rapidly (never forming a detonation wave in the material).


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molecular weight of NiSO4.7H2O is 1101.3 and it has 11 oxygens. So percentage of oxygen = (7 x 16) / 1101.3 = 112 / 1101.3 = 0.102 or 10.2%


Why is the oxygen level between 6 am to 6 pm high?

because plants make oxygen with the help of sunlight and sunlight is present between 6 am to 6pm. so the oxygen level is high.


Why does hydrogen explode when pottasium reacts with water?

The mixture of oxygen and hydrogen at high temperature (a reaction occur) is very explosive.


Is oxygen's reactivity high or low?

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