Hydrogen and oxygen are two elements with a complicated relationship when combined and as individual atoms. As atoms, oxygen and hydrogen are very reactive with oxygen feeding fire while hydrogen is highly explosive. These characteristics demonstrate how these individual atoms support the production of fire. However, when oxygen and hydrogen are combined, they form water which puts out fire. Combustion requires oxidation and oxygen provides a readily available oxidizer. It is why as a diatomic element, oxygen fosters the process of combustion. Hydrogen, on the other hand, maintains an explosive characteristic in the air and remains the lightest gas present in the atmosphere. Both elements retain their explosive characteristics individually.
However, when oxygen and hydrogen and combined through a chemical reaction, they result in water which is not explosive or combustive as one would expect. Any chemical reaction involves the exchange of electrons which results in the creation and breaking of bonds resulting in the change of the reactants into a more stable outcome. It means that when hydrogen and oxygen interact combustion does occur, but the result of the reaction is water which is a product of combustion. During the reaction, burning occurs between the oxygen and hydrogen molecules and one can recognize the combustive factors of oxygen and hydrogen as individual molecules. However, the result of the burning process is in a more stable form which water. As a product of combustion, water, therefore, cannot support the same process. It is why water as a product of the chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen will not support burning, but oxygen and hydrogen as individual elements will support the process of combustion.
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