The complex chemistry of fire
Despite its ubiquity in human life, chemists have still barely unlocked what’s happening amid the flames. Kit Chapman reports
The fire at Grenfell Tower, along with other major blazes such as the destruction of Notre Dame Cathedral in France and the 2019/20 wildfires in the US and Australia, has shown how much work still needs to be done to understand how to prevent and control fires. Despite being one of the most familiar phenomena in most people’s lives, it’s surprising how little we truly know about how and why things burn. Although it’s more than 170 years since Michael Faraday’s lectures on the chemical history of a candle, we still struggle with a complete understanding of fire. It’s a mission that will require chemists and materials scientists working in partnership with fire services and architects. And even then, we’ll have barely begun to understand the mysteries of fire – and tackle the immensely complex scientific challenges it poses.