question_answer 1)

Saline hydrides such as \[NaH\] or \[Ca{{H}_{2}}\] react with water violently producing fire. Can\[C{{O}_{2}}\], a well known fire extinguisher, be used in this case? Explain.

Answer:

Saline hydrides react with water violently to produce hydrogen. These reactions are highly exothermic and the evolved hydrogen catches fire. \[NaH+C{{O}_{2}}\to NaOH+{{H}_{2}}\] The fire so produced cannot be extinguished with because \[C{{O}_{2}}\] is reduced by hot metal hydride.