Question

If a heated steel nail were placed in pure o2, would you expect it to burn as readily as the steel wool does?

Answer 1

No, the reaction would not be as vigorous as the steel wool because of the surface area. When steel wool comes in contact with pure oxygen, the rapid reaction takes place due to a large increase in surface area. On the contrary, the steel nail has a lesser surface area and the reaction with oxygen would be slow.

Answer 2

The steel nail will not burn as readily as the steel wool. This is because of the characteristics of both materials. The steel nail is made with a compact structure preventing a combustion reaction with O2. While the steel wool's structure is thin, if placed in O2, the steel wool readily burnt.