Water known as the fire extinguisher.What is the possibility watere being the fuel to fire.
"Pure water"
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3$\begingroup$ A few chemicals react violently in contact with water, such as cesium. $\endgroup$– SlereahCommented Nov 7, 2015 at 16:53
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$\begingroup$ Cesium is reacting with water.what way can we manipulate water so when we add water to a burning wood ,it becomes a fuel. $\endgroup$– sohaib shaikhCommented Nov 7, 2015 at 16:59
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$\begingroup$ What is the possible manipulation to the Water molecule.It's $\endgroup$– sohaib shaikhCommented Nov 7, 2015 at 16:59
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$\begingroup$ with electrolysis it can be separated into H2 and O, and H2 certainly can cause fire en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis#Electrolysis_of_water $\endgroup$– anna vCommented Nov 7, 2015 at 17:04
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2$\begingroup$ Would Chemistry be a better home for this question? $\endgroup$– Qmechanic ♦Commented Nov 7, 2015 at 17:29
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3 Answers
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What is the possibility water being the fuel to fire. "Pure water"
Especially your emphatic addition of "Pure water" allows to answer this question in the narrow sense of the question as: 'No'.
In order for a substance to be the fuel to a fire it has to contain something that is reducible, i.e. capable of lowering its Oxidation Number. Such a substance is known as an oxidiser. Molecular oxygen ($\mathrm{O_2}$) is an archetypical oxidiser because its elemental oxidation number of $0$ can be lowered in chemical reactions.
But in water, oxygen is already at its lowest quantum mechanically allowed oxidation number, specifically $-2$. It cannot be lowered any further.
Water can contribute to a fire through other reactions like the reaction of water with reactive metals (like alkali metals, magnesium and others), which generates flammable hydrogen ($\mathrm{H_2}$) but that's not really the water itself contributing to the fire but the rather hydrogen catching fire.
Water itself can certainly not burn.
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$\begingroup$ Seems it would be difficult for water to turn as a fuel,How much would you rate the possibility of the Water fuel thing? $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 7, 2015 at 18:28
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$\begingroup$ @sohaibshaikh: anyone claiming he can use water as fuel is a fraud. Pakistan was recently rocked by a 'water car' scandal, caused by a quack called Waqar. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agha_Waqar%27s_water-fuelled_car $\endgroup$– GertCommented Nov 7, 2015 at 18:32
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$\begingroup$ If it were possible Scientists would have found it.I have read about frauds online.If they were true.They would have revealed the technology. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 7, 2015 at 18:36
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$\begingroup$ @sohaibshaikh: conspiracy theorists and assorted loonies would have one believe these discoveries have been made and that they're being suppressed by Big G'ment/Big Oil but that's nonsense. Water as fuel would break the Laws of Thermodynamics, hence it's big No No... $\endgroup$– GertCommented Nov 7, 2015 at 19:22
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Yes, if a water fire extinguisher is used inappropriately, on (say) something like a Magnesium fire. The Magnesium extracts the Oxygen from the water and the Hydrogen then burns. This is in addition to what is effectively a steam explosion from the heat alone spreading the burning metal. Such a fire is a danger when machining Magnesium or similar metals and alloys in air.
Another, bigger Mg fire plus water
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Pure water is not flammable. It can be added to other materials (e.g. cesium, sodium, etc.) to produce flame, however.
In the comments you seem to reject that option because it is not "pure water" but water reacting with something. I'd like to point out that all flammability results from reactions. Pure oxygen is not flammable either, for example, it has to react with something to flame up and burn. Flame is a chemical reaction byproduct and that is unavoidable.
