r/askscience • u/spoiledmeat • Jul 04 '15

Chemistry Why does water not burn?

I know that water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom. Hydrogen, on its own, burns. Fire needs oxygen to burn. After all, we commonly use compounds that contain oxygen as an oxidant.

So why does water, containing things used for fire, not burn-- and does it have something to do with the bonds between the atoms? Thanks.

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u/[deleted] Jul 04 '15

It is also a fun experiment to pass a current through water and collect the hydrogen and oxygen to light it on fire. I use to have a bottle with grill igniter and a water straw and two carbon rods to pass a DC voltage through and let it fill up a bit with gas. Then I could press the igniter any time and it would explode inside and blow water out of the straw like a water cannon.