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Weird chemical reactions

Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 1:55
by SupFanat
There are some unusual chemical reactions.
Normally the substances burn by reaction with oxygen (alternatives - fluorine, sulfur, chlorine, bromine, iodine, can be even nitrogen). But some substances are said to be able to burn by losing oxygen! Potassium chlorate can allegedly violently decompose to potassium chloride and oxygen even without addition of fuels which react with oxygen. Xenon trioxide can even explosively decay to xenon and oxygen! There's even at least one metal which doesn't react with diatomic oxygen and its oxide tends to lose oxygen and become metal. (Do you know which one?)

Nitrogen is normally inert but there's one metal which reacts with it even at room temperature. (Do you know which one?)

Hydrogen peroxide is normally an oxidizer but try mixing it with potassium permanganate - the result is surprising.

Carbon, an element which can burn in oxygen can't burn in chlorine. On the other side, copper which can react with both elements seems to react with chlorine more violent than with oxygen.