If Hydrogen and Oxygen are both explosive, why cant we make water blow up?
467694
When atoms combine by covelant or ionic bonds, the resulting compound has properties that are different from those of the atoms.  For example, Sodium is a soft and very reactive metal, and Chlorine is a yellow-green poisonous gas, but when they combine ionically, the result is table salt: neither reactive nor poisonous.  This has to do with how the electrons are situated at the atomic level.  Often, bonding stabilizes the electrons and makes the resulting compound less reactive, which is why water will not react the way Hydrogen or Oxygen do.
322532
No, water (H2O) and Gasoline [mostly Octane] (C8H18) are quite different on a molecular level,\nFor one, water has no carbon, and Octane has no Oxygen.
1068258
If you mix a hydrocarbon gas/vapor with oxygen, nothing will happen. \n\nHowever, if you then add a spark or flame (which provides the activation energy needed for the reaction to proceed), you will wind up with a fire or an explosion as the hydrocarbon combusts (burns), changing into water and carbon dioxide.
825846
Indeed; this has to do with atomic orbital structure. Atoms try to fill their outermost electron shell with electrons. All atoms will release energy when they accept an electron (this energy is called its electron affinity) and absorb energy when they free an electron (called the ionization potential). Atoms that are a few electrons short of filling their last shell (such as O, F, Cl and most of Group IIIA-VIIA on the periodic table) "will do anything" to fill this last shell, and will release a great amount of energy in the diatomic form (O2). Thus two single O atoms are not stable very long, they would immediately react to form O2 which is far more stable. O is so unstable it would even react with O2 to form O3 if it can't find another O atom.\n\nThe fact that some atoms "exist only" in diatomic form in nature does not mean it is impossible to single out an O atom. If you bombard O2 atoms with light that has a higher energy than the bond, you will break it. And, for a brief period of time, will have to single O atoms which will very quickly react with one another, or with another molecule to achieve stability.\n\nHope that helps; good luck with your studies.
800097
Yes 1 is correct. Oxygen and Hydrogen have very strong bonds. Also known as hydrogen bonding. That's why water, for example, has such a high surface tension. You are correct!
1066927
Hydrogen gas (H2) is very combustable, (Oxygen gas [O2] is not), but water (H2O) does not burn.\n\nWhen substances are reacted, their chemical propertis change completely. In the case of Hydrogen and Oxygen gas, when these two substances combust, the product is water.  Water represents the produce of the two substances burning, it is no longer the original substances, it is totally new.\nJust like you cannot burn the ashes of a camp fire like you would be able to new wood, you cannot burn water since it has already been chemically reacted.\n\nThe Hydrogen is already bonded with the Oxygen in the case of water, there is no reason for it to furhter react with Oxygen since it is already in a stable state.
456100
How exactly are you splitting the H from the O?   Under high pressure and spraying?  I don't see how that could possibly work.  Cold fusion also has a huge potential for cheap, clean, renewable energy.  But much like what you are talking about, it simply isn't possible with the current technology.  If splitting H and O was so cheap and simple it would be done all of the time.  Electrolysis works, but the energy input makes it unrealistic for creating liquid hydrogen as an energy source.  If you truely have a way to spit the H20 molecule cheaply and efficiently you'd already be a multi-billionaire.
44103
It doesn't burn because it already has.\n\nWhen pure hydrogen burns, it combines with oxygen to make water. When hydrocarbons burn, you get carbon dioxide and water.
168614
Hydrogen is a very dangerous compound, especially under pressure or concentrated.  When burned, hydrogen creates a violent exposion with oxygen that produces water.  Furthermore, hydrogen is a main part the most acidic compounds known to man such as hydrocloric acid.
979598
No. Combustion occurs b/c something reacts with oxygen. So unless the helium is contaminated with oxygen, no combustion can take place.
226426
Atomic and hydrogen bombs explode while nuclear power plants can not.  Nuclear power plants use nuclear fuel that can not explode.  It can melt if not properly cooled.  The plant may use high temperature water and steam that can explode if there is a major rupture just as in a conventional power plant.  Very careful design and operation has avoided all but a few major incidents like Chernobyl and Three Mile Island and the lessons learned have been heeded.  Your novel should not spread misinformation to be accepted by critics.  Good luck.
982375
Hydrogen and oxygen, when combined in an appropriate mixture, will burn to form water.  By itself neither pure hydrogen nor pure oxygen will burn (they need an oxidizer and a reductant respectively).  Water is a stable chemical component that does not have the volatile characteristics of the elements that make up its composition (hydrogen and oxygen).
166600
The idea is to add the acid to the water and then pass a current through the water.  The water will split into Hydrogen and Oxygen.  The bubbles of these gasses can collected in tubes, the H will produce twice as much gas as the O.\n\nThe rocket can be powered by igniting the hydrogen.\n\nI think the citric acid is more reactive than absorbic acid, but any thing will do including vinegar (acetic acid).
733683
Hydrogen is extremely flammable, helium is entirely inert. \n\nGoogle for "Hindenburg".  No one know for sure why it caught fire, but once it did the results were spectacular (in a bad way).  \n\nThe US controlled most of the world supply of helium and wasn't letting Germany have any of it, so they were forced to use hydrogen.\n\nAnd yes, you're right, both of those gases are lighter than air due to their low atomic weight.
1107502
I think your question is that if both are gases, then why aren't they gases when they form together?  Let's assume that this is what you meant.\n\nWell, liquids are liquids due to a couple of reasons.  One is that they might be too heavy to overcome gravity, so the lighter stuff (like gases) floats above them.  Another reason for liquids is that the molecules like each other so much that they stick together.  This second reason is the best one that fits your answer.\n\nIt works like this: certain atoms have a high electronegativity.  That is, their nuclei are so packed with protons that they LOVE electrons.  Other atoms are the opposite...their nuclei don't have enough protons to support the electron load.\n\nWhen you take two of the same atom and stick them together, they each equally like their electrons so it's an even share.  When you take an atom that loves electrons and stick it with an atom that doesn't, the one that likes electrons pulls the electron density away from the other.\n\nAs it turns out, oxygen loves electrons and hydrogen doesn't care so much for them.  So when you stick an oxygen together with some hydrogen, the oxygen will pull the electrons towards it.  What you get in this case is a molecule that is heavy with electrons on one end and light on the other.  This forms what's called a dipole moment.  In other words, the molecule becomes a little magnet.  Put a bunch of water molecules together and they stick to each other as would thousands of tiny magnets.\n\nHydrogen gas and oxygen gas are both pairs of the same atom (H-H and O-O).  So when you stick their atoms to themselves, they don't form a dipole moment because nobody is being an electron hog.  So no magnet = no significant force pulling molecules together.  This, combined with the fact that they're pretty light, means they are gases.\n\nMost of the lighter molecules that have only 2 of the same atom are gases.  (O2, H2, Cl2, N2, ....).\n\nOf course, if you add enough energy to the system, anything will become a gas.  In such a case, you're adding so much energy to the system that the molecules want to travel fast.  This forces them to break the magnetic bonds they have with each other and float away.  As you know, this is called evaporation.\n\nHope this answered your question and sorry if I made it sound too simple.  I teach this stuff to youngins.
241253
Humans invented hydrogen bombs which are filled with highly reactive hydrogen.On blast this nasent hydrogen reacts with oxygen present in the air,this produce water.\nThis reaction cause all breathing living things die on the spot because the lack of oxygen.
719389
since the all of the valance orbitals are filled, helium is much more stable than hydrogen. therefore, i wont explode or catch on fire or anything dangerous