If fire needs oxygen of burn, how come it is used in H2O to put out fire?

Asked by: Laura

Another way of thinking about this is to understand that atoms lose their individual identities when they become parts of molecules. Sodium by itself reacts violently in contact with water. Chlorine is a poisonous gas. When a sodium atom and chlorine atom combine, however, they form a molecule of sodium chloride, also known as table salt.

Answered by: Paul Walorski, B.A., Part-time Physics/Astronomy Instructor