Abstract
IT has been known for a long time that combustion reactions of the type occurring in flames are sometimes accompanied by an extremely high degree of ionization and excitation of the flame gas1. In fact, electron concentrations have been observed which are several orders of magnitude higher than the values given by Lindemann–Saha's equation which presupposes thermodynamic equilibrium. Moreover, to explain the observed radiation emitted from metal vapours introduced into the reacting gas, a considerable number of electrons of energy above the critical energy is required the mean energy of which appears to be well beyond the mean energy of the gas molecules. In short, the electron temperature is expected to exceed the gas temperature.
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References
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VON ENGEL, A., COZENS, J. Origin of Excessive Ionization in Flames. Nature 202, 480 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/202480a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/202480a0
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