What Happens To Wood When It Burns? - Science ABC

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Simply put, when wood comes in contact with fire, it undergoes thermal degradation, or pyrolysis. The pyrolysis of wood leads to the release of certain volatile gases and the formation of char, which eventually undergoes flaming and glowing reactions, respectively, to release the heat energy.

If you are the adventurous kind of soul who likes camping in the jungle, then you might have also relished sitting around a campfire, enjoying the sugary goodness of s’mores. If that sounds like you, then you should be grateful for the wood that had to burn for you to savor the treat.

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(Photo Credit : pixabay)

We all know what happens when wood mingles with fire. It will first produce some smoke and then blaze with hues of orange and red. The stack of glowing embers finally fizzles out to form a heap of cooled grey ashes.

All this is what we observe at the surface level, but have you given any thought to what happens at the molecular level of the wood during its fiery end?

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