exchemist
Valued Senior Member
….and about the only thing they teach that can really be said to be true!
Is it possible for a human to Spontaneously Combust?
- Thread starter GaiaGirl95
- Start date
….and about the only thing they teach that can really be said to be true!
Like a fire fed by fat?
Right - which is why it's incredibly rare. Conditions have to be just right - a fat person so drunk (or so dead) they don't wake up, an ignition source that sits there long enough to burn through the skin, a wick (like cotton clothing) nearby etc.
(BTW they've tried this with pig carcasses - under the right conditions you can indeed "cook away" most of the pig with the energy in its own burning fat.)
Concentration of reactants = faster rate of reaction = MORE HEAT, more rapidly. I did this in highschool chemistry class.
This effect is most noted in the Bombardier Beetle.
Although unlikely, it is possible for cells to build up concentrations of enzymes. (Elevated liver enzymes anyone?) so let's assume one cell is full of one enzyme, and the other full of its substrate. The two cells burst allowing the two chemicals to react with each other. Because of the high concentrations involved they react at a rapid rate.
You cannot say SHC cannot happen for sure unless the experiment is carried out.
Go get some pure enzyme powder.
Get a high >50% concentration of the substrate in solution. Now pour in the enzyme powder for it to react.
Measure the peak temperature.
The reactions go by VERY FAST so I am wondering in this scenario how hot the solution would get. Would it get to over 300 degrees? 500 degrees? Enzymes take time to denature don't they? We know that such reactions will heat the solution to boiling point in milliseconds as this is seen in the Bombardier Beetle.
This effect is most noted in the Bombardier Beetle.
Although unlikely, it is possible for cells to build up concentrations of enzymes. (Elevated liver enzymes anyone?) so let's assume one cell is full of one enzyme, and the other full of its substrate. The two cells burst allowing the two chemicals to react with each other. Because of the high concentrations involved they react at a rapid rate.
You cannot say SHC cannot happen for sure unless the experiment is carried out.
Go get some pure enzyme powder.
Get a high >50% concentration of the substrate in solution. Now pour in the enzyme powder for it to react.
Measure the peak temperature.
The reactions go by VERY FAST so I am wondering in this scenario how hot the solution would get. Would it get to over 300 degrees? 500 degrees? Enzymes take time to denature don't they? We know that such reactions will heat the solution to boiling point in milliseconds as this is seen in the Bombardier Beetle.
In other words...can an enzyme become deactivated from heat within picoseconds of being dropped into say, water at the boiling point?
exchemist
Valued Senior Member
Try getting some, drop it in a solution of say >50% of its substrate .The reaction will go by very rapidly, and I'm wondering if this would cause the solution to raise the temperature above 300 degrees. We know that the bombardier beetle does something similar, and the temperature of the solution from the reaction jumps to boiling point within milliseconds.
Take note of that.
Enzymes require time to denature, don't they?
And mix it with pure substance? Then you would get a result.
That's obvious. But the reaction would go by VERY FAST and I'm wondering if the solution would reach a temperature of over 300 degrees since enzymes require time to denature/deactivate from heat. We know that the bombardier beetle does something similar, and the temperature of the solution from the reaction jumps to boiling point within milliseconds.at
Has anyone read that Huffington Post article on Frank Baker? He says he survived spontaneous combustion and his doctor diagnosed him with it, sayign he burnt from the inside out.
Write4U
Valued Senior Member
GG, with deepest respect, may I ask the purpose of your inquiry? I am trying real hard to come up with a reason why this phenomenon should be of any scientific value and interest.
Was this Baker guy ever psychologically examined? Perhaps he might have been trying to become "rocket man" and stuck a combustible concoction up his ass in order to try and leap a tall building in a single bound?
In a world of 6 billion people, a single anecdote (or even a few) of self combustion during a timespan of a 100 thousand years, can hardly be considered newsworthy. Why do you feel this is important?
exchemist
Valued Senior Member
Why?
Write4U
Valued Senior Member
ok, remove "deepest".
But I am curious what motivates GG's persistence, not about the subject itself. It was a courtesy extended before asking a personal question.
exchemist
Valued Senior Member
Fair enough. I admit I was being catty - just couldn't resist.
His doctor diagnosed it. Mmmmmh......
I wonder what the Latin for spontaneous combustion is?
Igneus Incogitatus, commonly known as fiery leg syndrome.
If you read the article, the doctor diagnosed him with ''partial spontaneous combustion''. He also noted that Frank Baker had burnt from the inside out. Frank said he went to the doctor and the doctor called him later, so I'm assuming scans were done and these scans showed Frank Baker burnt from the inside-out.
Sounds like Frank Baker heard something and didn't understand it. (Hint - there is no such diagnosis as "partial spontaneous combustion.") And being on TV is a pretty good incentive to misremember what your doctor said.
Perhaps a better question might be: Is it possible for Spontaneous Combustion to become Human? Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
The article says, the doctor called Frank and said this: ''Frank, this burned from the inside-out''.
Yes. The article says that a TV show says that Frank says that the doctor says that he burned from the inside out. Sounds like a game of telephone.
And given that Frank wanted to be on a TV show, his memories about what the doctor said are going to be very flexible.
Not likely, it's hard to mis-memorize ''you burnt from the INSIDE-OUT'' when told by a doctor over the phone, don't you think? You admit that SHC is indeed possible, and unlikely things do and have occured so there's a chance he's telling the truth.