[meteorite-list] Serious question?

From: Charles R. Viau <cviau_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:29:57 2004
Message-ID: <000a01c37d79$584d94a0$1800a8c0_at_chupa>

Oxidation - Definition -> Combining a substance with oxygen.

Oxidation is not possible without oxygen. It must be present, either
directly, or produced indirectly by a chemical process that involves a
catalyst that frees up the oxygen from some material that contains
molecules with oxygen locked up inside it (ozone,water,hydrogen
peroxide,etc..)
Oxygen is extremely reactive and forms oxides with nearly all other
elements except noble gases. Once the oxygen is liberated, it can
combine with another element, producing an oxide. All oxidation is just
another form of burning, it produces heat, very slow and small like
rusting, or vigorous as in a burning pile of leaves.

CharlyV IMCA 4351

-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-admin_at_meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-admin_at_meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Philip
R. Burns
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 5:53 PM
To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Serious question?

At 09:05 PM 9/16/2003 +0000, you wrote:

>Good point Tom. Also, Philip, I apologise for the fact that I don't
have the
>link to the info. about oxidization without the element oxygen, in
whatever
>compound. It's way beyond me. Are so many well educated people so set
in
>their ways as to disregard the obvious?

I'm not sure what you're asking. Is oxidation possible without oxygen?
Sure, that's basic chemistry. All oxidations involve a transfer of
electrons from one thing to another thing. That other thing receiving
the
electrons is the oxidation agent, which is often but not always oxygen.

Are you asking if someone has proposed that a non-oxygen-based oxidation

process is responsible for the red color of Mars? I don't know the
answer
to that.


-- Philip R. "Pib" Burns
    pib_at_pibburns.com
    http://www.pibburns.com/


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Received on Wed 17 Sep 2003 08:10:55 PM PDT