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What temperature is required to burn pencil lead graphite?
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Nzayisenga Emmanuel
What temperature is required to burn pencil lead graphite?
It’s all in the bonds. It doesn’t matter what you have, if it is in a tight covalent bond structure it is going to take a lot of input energy to trigger oxidation. What many people don’t understand is that anything can burn unless it has already been fully burned. Other than that, you can burn it, no questions ask. Eventually, with a high input energy, graphite carbon will tear off its tight covanent structure and pick up some oxygen, but that might take a lot more energy than the reaction will release, meaning that you probably won’t get a self sustained combustion flame going. No cool fire, but definitely some toxic CO and CO2 and some very hot carbon!
It’s all in the bonds. It doesn’t matter what you have, if it is in a tight covalent bond structure it is going to take a lot of input energy to trigger oxidation. What many people don’t understand is that anything can burn unless it has already been fully burned. Other than that, you can burn it, no questions ask. Eventually, with a high input energy, graphite carbon will tear off its tight covanent structure and pick up some oxygen, but that might take a lot more energy than the reaction will release, meaning that you probably won’t get a self sustained combustion flame going. No cool fire, but definitely some toxic CO and CO2 and some very hot carbon!
You have two problems.
1.) pencil lead graphite is actually a graphite-clay composite.
2.) carbon does not sustain burning easily unless it is held at very high temperatures.
Pencil lead will not burn effectively for the first reason as clay is non-combustible and smothers any fire load. If you did have pure graphite to burn, a simple flame wouldn't be hot enough to combust it. You need to sustain temperatures of around $1000\mathrm{-}2000~^\circ\mathrm{C}$ in order for pure carbon to burn.
You have two problems. 1.) pencil lead graphite is actually a graphite-clay composite. 2.) carbon does not sustain burning easily unless it is held at very high temperatures.
Pencil lead will not burn effectively for the first reason as clay is non-combustible and smothers any fire load. If you did have pure graphite to burn, a simple flame wouldn't be hot enough to combust it. You need to sustain temperatures of around $1000\mathrm{-}2000~^\circ\mathrm{C}$ in order for pure carbon to burn.
@CurtF. Eh, not really. Graphite is heavily used in glassblowing/lampworking. Those flames are oxygen/propane flames and you can put chunks of solid graphite directly into the flame without any obvious combustion occurring. You might get a bit from carbon dust, but the block doesnt degrade at all.More
It’s all in the bonds. It doesn’t matter what you have, if it is in a tight covalent bond structure it is going to take a lot of input energy to trigger oxidation. What many people don’t understand is that anything can burn unless it has already been fully burned. Other than that, you can burn it, no questions ask. Eventually, with a high input energy, graphite carbon will tear off its tight covanent structure and pick up some oxygen, but that might take a lot more energy than the reaction will release, meaning that you probably won’t get a self sustained combustion flame going. No cool fire, but definitely some toxic CO and CO2 and some very hot carbon!
It’s all in the bonds. It doesn’t matter what you have, if it is in a tight covalent bond structure it is going to take a lot of input energy to trigger oxidation. What many people don’t understand is that anything can burn unless it has already been fully burned. Other than that, you can burn it, no questions ask. Eventually, with a high input energy, graphite carbon will tear off its tight covanent structure and pick up some oxygen, but that might take a lot more energy than the reaction will release, meaning that you probably won’t get a self sustained combustion flame going. No cool fire, but definitely some toxic CO and CO2 and some very hot carbon!
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You have two problems.
1.) pencil lead graphite is actually a graphite-clay composite.
2.) carbon does not sustain burning easily unless it is held at very high temperatures.
Pencil lead will not burn effectively for the first reason as clay is non-combustible and smothers any fire load. If you did have pure graphite to burn, a simple flame wouldn't be hot enough to combust it. You need to sustain temperatures of around $1000\mathrm{-}2000~^\circ\mathrm{C}$ in order for pure carbon to burn.
You have two problems.
1.) pencil lead graphite is actually a graphite-clay composite.
2.) carbon does not sustain burning easily unless it is held at very high temperatures.
Pencil lead will not burn effectively for the first reason as clay is non-combustible and smothers any fire load. If you did have pure graphite to burn, a simple flame wouldn't be hot enough to combust it. You need to sustain temperatures of around $1000\mathrm{-}2000~^\circ\mathrm{C}$ in order for pure carbon to burn.
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