What happens when steel wool reacts with oxygen?
Keeping this in consideration, what happens when you heat steel wool?
The first thing to understand is that steel wool is actually mostly iron (Fe). These temperatures cause the iron to react with the oxygen (O2) in the air and creates iron oxide (FeO2). This reaction releases heat, heating up the next bit of iron and so on, causing a cascading reaction through the steel wool.
Besides, what happens when metal react with oxygen?
When a metal reacts with oxygen, a metal oxide forms. The general equation for this reaction is: metal + oxygen → metal oxide. Rust is a form of iron oxide and it forms slowly when iron is exposed to air.
The reaction is started by passing electric current through the steel wool. The electric current causes joule heating, which rapidly heats the steel wool to the point of combustion. The hot steel wool reacts with atmospheric oxygen to produce Fe3O4 (magnetite), a naturally occurring iron oxide.