Why isn't Uranus a Bomb?

Originally posted by johnsky
With enough oxygen, you can make anything burn.

It's a fun thing to do, if you have access to a tank of oxygen.

This isn't quite true. It's very close, but there are some things that won't react with oxygen no matter how hot you get it. Examples are the nobles gasses and there might be few more. I don't know if something like Uranium will combust (at least not with Oxygen). I know there's Uranium Hexaflouride (UF6) or something like that.

Also, there are these nifty combustion curves when you start dealing with oxidization reactions. In too rich or lean an environment something won't combust. There's a pretty big range. But even if there was oxygen and the planet exploded it would probably coalesce again after a while. It probably wouldn't even explode, just burn for a while. At any rate, you need to have the right mix of stuff to actually have burning, you can have local burning though. It will then go out after a bit.

Originally posted by Gemwolf

Originally posted by Valhall
There is no oxidizer. It doesn't have the oxygen in the atmosphere needed to cause the "match to strike". You've got to have an ignition source, otherwise hydrogen just hangs around like anything else.

Ah, thanks Val! I understand the "triangle" necessary to create fire. But does the same rule apply everywhere in the Universe?

Can we use the Sun as an example? It's composed of 74% Hydrogen, and 25% Helium (as a result of the nuclear fusion). It doesn't have an oxidizer. What "sparked" the Sun to "explode" in the first place? (Excuse my use of such "loose" terms

)

And it's guessed that there are oxygen compounds on Uranus...?

its not exploding, if anythng its imoplding, all the hydrogne gas is getting crushed by huge gravitational forces at the center of the star causing fusion whcih releases enrgy. Its different than the explosions that things like conventional bombs make

Originally posted by Gemwolf

Originally posted by Valhall
There is no oxidizer. It doesn't have the oxygen in the atmosphere needed to cause the "match to strike". You've got to have an ignition source, otherwise hydrogen just hangs around like anything else.

Ah, thanks Val! I understand the "triangle" necessary to create fire. But does the same rule apply everywhere in the Universe?

Can we use the Sun as an example? It's composed of 74% Hydrogen, and 25% Helium (as a result of the nuclear fusion). It doesn't have an oxidizer. What "sparked" the Sun to "explode" in the first place? (Excuse my use of such "loose" terms

)

And it's guessed that there are oxygen compounds on Uranus...?

its not exploding, if anythng its imoplding, all the hydrogne gas is getting crushed by huge gravitational forces at the center of the star causing fusion whcih releases enrgy. Its different than the explosions that things like conventional bombs make