alb10657529

Steel wool burning, 1 of 3

Steel wool burning, 1 of 3. Steel wool is made of very thin bundled steel filaments (25 micron thickness here). The filaments have a very large surface area to volume ratio. When terminals of a 9V battery are brushed against steel wool, the filaments conduct current and complete the circuit. Due to Ohmic heating, their temperature is increased enough for them to start burning. Steel wool burns in air (20% oxygen by volume) only gently. In this oxidation reaction a mixture of different iron oxides is produced (FeO, Fe2O3, Fe3O4), depending on how much oxygen gets to a particular bit of iron.
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Title:
Steel wool burning, 1 of 3
Caption:
Steel wool burning, 1 of 3. Steel wool is made of very thin bundled steel filaments (25 micron thickness here). The filaments have a very large surface area to volume ratio. When terminals of a 9V battery are brushed against steel wool, the filaments conduct current and complete the circuit. Due to Ohmic heating, their temperature is increased enough for them to start burning. Steel wool burns in air (20% oxygen by volume) only gently. In this oxidation reaction a mixture of different iron oxides is produced (FeO, Fe2O3, Fe3O4), depending on how much oxygen gets to a particular bit of iron.
Credit:
Album / Science Source / GIPhotoStock
Releases:
Model: No - Property: No
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Image size:
5158 x 3417 px | 50.4 MB
Print size:
43.7 x 28.9 cm | 17.2 x 11.4 in (300 dpi)
Keywords:
BURN BURNING CHEMICAL CHEMISTRY COMBUSTION CURRENT ELECTRIC ELECTRICITY FE FE2O3 FE3O4 FEO FLAME HEATING IRON (METAL) IRON AND STEEL IRON IRON_AND_STEEL JOULE METAL O2 OHMIC OXIDATION OXIDE OXYGEN REACTION REDOX RESISTIVE STEEL INDUSTRY STEEL WIRE WOOL