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From: gino@sdchema.UUCP (Eugene G. Youngerman)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: freezing hot water
Message-ID: <394@sdchema.sdchema.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-May-85 23:54:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdchema.394
Posted: Wed May 29 23:54:53 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Jun-85 05:48:34 EDT
References: <188@sdcarl.UUCP> <442@leadsv.UUCP> <406@rtech.ARPA>
Reply-To: gino@sdchema.UUCP (Eugene G. Youngerman)
Organization: Chemistry Dept, UC San Diego
Lines: 38

In article <406@rtech.ARPA> eric@rtech.ARPA (Eric Lundblad) writes:
>
>	No really, the hot-cold water effect is true. The
>principal that causes this also causes other things. For
>instance, wet wood burns better that dry wood. In this case,
>The oxygen molecules in the water helps out the fire, and we all
>know how much fire needs oxygen. The hydrogen molecule also
>doesn't hurt any. 
>
>	Does this clear things up?
>-- 
>
>			Eric Lundblad

I have been following this whole argument with amusement.  Some of it
sort of makes sense -- especially the part about warm water evaporating,
and then freezing faster because there is less of it.  I havve trouble
belieing a lot of the stuff about dissolved gases, but who knows??

Anyway, (No offense, Eric) water may or may not help wood burn, and 
wet wood may burn better than dry wood, but not for the reasons posted.

Water (H2O) is a molecule.  If you burn anything flammable that contains
a hydrogen atom, you get water as a product.  Burning is the act of 
combining (with the release of energy) some flammable or combustible
material with oxygen.  In the case of compounds containing only carbon
and hydrogen, the most stable proucts are CO2 and H2O.  Water in wood
does not burn, the oxygen atom in water is not consumed.

I hope that I have not added more fuel to the fire.

Or perhaps I have fanned the flames.

Or stirred the pot to boiling?

Sorry

GINO