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Specialty Chemistry Forums => Citizen Chemist => Topic started by: kjohnson1 on August 16, 2019, 06:55:29 PM

Title: Chemical Fire Question
Post by: kjohnson1 on August 16, 2019, 06:55:29 PM
Location: Texas.  Temperature 100+. I stored a sealed gallon of muratic acid outside on a piece of plywood.  On that plywood I also had my pallet jack.  I had recently serviced the pallet jack and spilled some R&O 100 hydraulic oil.  Anyway I happened to be outside and heard a strange noise.  When I investigated, I found a fire where the oil had soaked into the plywood.  What reaction happened here?

Note: Yesterday around this time I smelled burning wood and looked around the entire outside of the house and in the garage.  Perhaps this reaction started a day or more ago and today....resulted in fire.
Title: Re: Chemical Fire Question
Post by: Enthalpy on August 19, 2019, 06:39:23 AM
Welcome, kjohnson1!

Is the acid still sealed?

Hydrochloric acid could hydrolyse wood, but I don't see a path from this cold reaction to flames. With mineral oil, there should be no significant reaction.

Acid would make hydrogen in contact with metals, but hydrogen needs a seriously high temperature to light, like a spark.