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The Design in Fire
The fundamental reaction that releases the energy necessary for the
survival of oxygen-breathing organisms is the oxidation of hydrocarbons. But this simple fact raises a troubling question: If our bodies are made up essentially of hydrocarbons, why aren't they also oxidized? Putting it another way, why don't we just go up in flame, like a match that's been struck? Our bodies are constantly in contact with the oxygen of the air and yet they don't oxidize: they don't catch fire. Why not? The reason for this seeming paradox is that, under normal conditions of temperature and pressure, the molecular (O2) form of oxygen has a substantial degree of inertness or "nobility". (In the sense that chemists use the term, "nobility" is the reluctance (or inability) of a substance to enter into chemical reactions with other substances.) But this raises other questions: If molecular oxygen is so "noble" as to avoid incinerating us, how is this same molecule made to enter into chemical reactions inside our bodies? The answer to this question, which perplexed chemists as early as the mid 19th century, did not become known until the second half of the 20th century, when biochemical researchers discovered the existence of enzymes in the human body whose only function was to force the O2 in the atmosphere to enter into chemical reactions. As a result of a series of extremely complex steps, these enzymes utilize atoms of iron and copper in our bodies as catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that initiates a chemical reaction and allows it to proceed under different conditions (such as lower temperature etc) than would otherwise be possible. In other words, there is a very interesting situation he Oxygen is what supports oxidation and combustion and normally one would expect it to burn us up too. To prevent this, the molecular O2 form of oxygen that exists in the atmosphere has been given a strong element of chemical nobility. That is, it doesn't enter into reactions easily. But, on the other hand, our bodies depend upon the oxidizing property of oxygen for their energy and for that reason, our cells have been fitted out with an extremely complex enzyme system that makes this noble gas extremely reactive. While we're on the subject we should also point out that this enzyme system is a marvelous example of design that no evolutionary theory holding that life developed as a result of chance events can ever hope to explain. There is yet another precaution that has been taken to keep our bodies from burning up: what the British chemist Nevil Sidgwick calls the "characteristic inertness of carbon". What this means is that carbon is not too much in a hurry either to enter into a reaction with oxygen under normal pressures and temperatures. Expressed in the language of chemistry this may all seem rather arcane, but in fact what is being said here is something that anyone who's ever had to light a fireplace full of huge logs or a coal-burning stove in winter or start a stubborn barbecue in summer already knows. In order to get the fire going, you have to take care of a lot of preliminaries (kindling, starter, etc) or else suddenly raise the temperature of the fuel to a very high degree (as with a blowtorch). But once the fuel starts burning, the carbon in it enters into the reaction with oxygen quite rapidly and a great amount of energy is released. This is why it's so hard to get a fire going without another source of heat. But after combustion begins, a great deal of heat is produced and this can cause other carbon compounds nearby to catch fire as well and so the fire spreads. When we look into this matter more carefully, we can see that fire itself is a most interesting example of design. The chemical properties of oxygen and carbon have been so arranged that these two elements enter into a reaction with one another (combustion) only when a great amount of heat is already present. It's a good thing, too because if this weren't the case, life on this planet would be very unpleasant if not downright impossible. If oxygen and carbon were even slightly more willing to react with one another, the spontaneous combustion–self-ignition–of people, trees, and animals would become a commonplace event whenever the weather got a little too warm. Someone walking through a desert for example might suddenly burst into flame at noon when the heat was at its most intense; plants and animals would be exposed to the same risk. Even if life were possible in such a world, it certainly wouldn't be much fun. On the other hand, if carbon and oxygen were slightly more noble (that is, slightly less reactive) than they are, it would be much more difficult to light a fire in this world than it already is: indeed, it might even be impossible. And without fire, we not only would have been unable to keep ourselves warm: it's quite likely that there would never have been any technological progress on our planet because that progress depends upon the ability to work materials such as metal and without the heat provided by fire, purifying and working metal is all but impossible. What all this shows is that the chemical properties of carbon and oxygen have been arranged so as to be the most suitable for the needs of mankind. Concerning this, Michael Denton says: This curious unreactivity of the carbon and oxygen atoms at ambient temperatures, combined with the enormous energies inherent in their combination once achieved, is of great adaptive significance to life on Earth. It is this curious combination that not only makes available to advanced life forms the vast energies of oxidation in a controlled and orderly manner but has also made possible the controlled use of fire by mankind and allowed the harnessing of the massive energies of combustion for the development of technology. In other words, both carbon and the oxygen have been created with properties that are the most fit for human life. The properties of these two elements allow us to light a fire and to make use of fire in the most convenient way possible. Furthermore, the world is full of sources of carbon (such as the wood of trees) that are fit for combustion. All this is an indication that fire and the materials to start and sustain it have been specially created to be fit for human life. In the Qur'an, God speaks to mankind with these words: He Who produces fire for you from green trees so that you use them to light your fires. (Qur'an, 36:80) |
#2
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The Design in Fire
On Aug 27, 6:37*am, Hamady wrote:
The fundamental reaction that releases the energy necessary for the survival of oxygen-breathing organisms is the oxidation of hydrocarbons. But this simple fact raises a troubling question: If our bodies are made up essentially of hydrocarbons, why aren't they also oxidized? Putting it another way, why don't we just go up in flame, like a match that's been struck? Our bodies are constantly in contact with the oxygen of the air and yet they don't oxidize: they don't catch fire. Why not? The reason for this seeming paradox is that, under normal conditions of temperature and pressure, the molecular (O2) form of oxygen has a substantial degree of inertness or "nobility". (In the sense that chemists use the term, "nobility" is the reluctance (or inability) of a substance to enter into chemical reactions with other substances.) But this raises other questions: If molecular oxygen is so "noble" as to avoid incinerating us, how is this same molecule made to enter into chemical reactions inside our bodies? The answer to this question, which perplexed chemists as early as the mid 19th century, did not become known until the second half of the 20th century, when biochemical researchers discovered the existence of enzymes in the human body whose only function was to force the O2 in the atmosphere to enter into chemical reactions. As a result of a series of extremely complex steps, these enzymes utilize atoms of iron and copper in our bodies as catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that initiates a chemical reaction and allows it to proceed under different conditions (such as lower temperature etc) than would otherwise be possible. In other words, there is a very interesting situation he Oxygen is what supports oxidation and combustion and normally one would expect it to burn us up too. To prevent this, the molecular O2 form of oxygen that exists in the atmosphere has been given a strong element of chemical nobility. That is, it doesn't enter into reactions easily. But, on the other hand, our bodies depend upon the oxidizing property of oxygen for their energy and for that reason, our cells have been fitted out with an extremely complex enzyme system that makes this noble gas extremely reactive. While we're on the subject we should also point out that this enzyme system is a marvelous example of design that no evolutionary theory holding that life developed as a result of chance events can ever hope to explain. There is yet another precaution that has been taken to keep our bodies from burning up: what the British chemist Nevil Sidgwick calls the "characteristic inertness of carbon". What this means is that carbon is not too much in a hurry either to enter into a reaction with oxygen under normal pressures and temperatures. Expressed in the language of chemistry this may all seem rather arcane, but in fact what is being said here is something that anyone who's ever had to light a fireplace full of huge logs or a coal-burning stove in winter or start a stubborn barbecue in summer already knows. In order to get the fire going, you have to take care of a lot of preliminaries (kindling, starter, etc) or else suddenly raise the temperature of the fuel to a very high degree (as with a blowtorch). But once the fuel starts burning, the carbon in it enters into the reaction with oxygen quite rapidly and a great amount of energy is released. This is why it's so hard to get a fire going without another source of heat. But after combustion begins, a great deal of heat is produced and this can cause other carbon compounds nearby to catch fire as well and so the fire spreads. When we look into this matter more carefully, we can see that fire itself is a most interesting example of design. The chemical properties of oxygen and carbon have been so arranged that these two elements enter into a reaction with one another (combustion) only when a great amount of heat is already present. It's a good thing, too because if this weren't the case, life on this planet would be very unpleasant if not downright impossible. If oxygen and carbon were even slightly more willing to react with one another, the spontaneous combustion–self-ignition–of people, trees, and animals would become a commonplace event whenever the weather got a little too warm. Someone walking through a desert for example might suddenly burst into flame at noon when the heat was at its most intense; plants and animals would be exposed to the same risk. Even if life were possible in such a world, it certainly wouldn't be much fun. On the other hand, if carbon and oxygen were slightly more noble (that is, slightly less reactive) than they are, it would be much more difficult to light a fire in this world than it already is: indeed, it might even be impossible. And without fire, we not only would have been unable to keep ourselves warm: it's quite likely that there would never have been any technological progress on our planet because that progress depends upon the ability to work materials such as metal and without the heat provided by fire, purifying and working metal is all but impossible. What all this shows is that the chemical properties of carbon and oxygen have been arranged so as to be the most suitable for the needs of mankind. Concerning this, Michael Denton says: * * This curious unreactivity of the carbon and oxygen atoms at ambient temperatures, combined with the enormous energies inherent in their combination once achieved, is of great adaptive significance to life on Earth. It is this curious combination that not only makes available to advanced life forms the vast energies of oxidation in a controlled and orderly manner but has also made possible the controlled use of fire by mankind and allowed the harnessing of the massive energies of combustion for the development of technology. In other words, both carbon and the oxygen have been created with properties that are the most fit for human life. The properties of these two elements allow us to light a fire and to make use of fire in the most convenient way possible. Furthermore, the world is full of sources of carbon (such as the wood of trees) that are fit for combustion. All this is an indication that fire and the materials to start and sustain it have been specially created to be fit for human life. In the Qur'an, God speaks to mankind with these words: He Who produces fire for you from green trees so that you use them to light your fires. (Qur'an, 36:80) Because we are made of proteins and largely water. We are not made of methane. Get a chemistry book and read. |
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The Design in Fire
Dear Harnady:
On Aug 27, 5:37*am, Hamady wrote: The fundamental reaction that releases the energy necessary for the survival of oxygen-breathing organisms is the oxidation of hydrocarbons. But this simple fact raises a troubling question: If our bodies are made up essentially of hydrocarbons, why aren't they also oxidized? They aren't made up of *only* hydrocarbons. And look up "spontaneous human combustion". People have died and managed to light themselves on fire with cigarettes and such, and we do burn. Putting it another way, why don't we just go up in flame, like a match that's been struck? Ever heard of "antioxidants" that you are supposed to take for various cosmetic purposes? Did you never wonder why that was? Snip poor science/ Obvious trolling David A. Smith |
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The Design in Fire
Hamady wrote: The fundamental reaction that releases the energy necessary for the survival of oxygen-breathing organisms is the oxidation of hydrocarbons. But this simple fact raises a troubling question: If our bodies are made up essentially of hydrocarbons, why aren't they also oxidized? Putting it another way, why don't we just go up in flame, like a match that's been struck? For the same reason that peanut butter doesn't eat light bulbs, or does it!? Our bodies are constantly in contact with the oxygen of the air and yet they don't oxidize: they don't catch fire. Why not? The reason for this seeming paradox is that, under normal conditions of temperature and pressure, the molecular (O2) form of oxygen has a substantial degree of inertness or "nobility". (In the sense that chemists use the term, "nobility" is the reluctance (or inability) of a substance to enter into chemical reactions with other substances.) But this raises other questions: If molecular oxygen is so "noble" as to avoid incinerating us, how is this same molecule made to enter into chemical reactions inside our bodies? The answer to this question, which perplexed chemists as early as the mid 19th century, did not become known until the second half of the 20th century, when biochemical researchers discovered the existence of enzymes in the human body whose only function was to force the O2 in the atmosphere to enter into chemical reactions. As a result of a series of extremely complex steps, these enzymes utilize atoms of iron and copper in our bodies as catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that initiates a chemical reaction and allows it to proceed under different conditions (such as lower temperature etc) than would otherwise be possible. In other words, there is a very interesting situation he Oxygen is what supports oxidation and combustion and normally one would expect it to burn us up too. To prevent this, the molecular O2 form of oxygen that exists in the atmosphere has been given a strong element of chemical nobility. That is, it doesn't enter into reactions easily. But, on the other hand, our bodies depend upon the oxidizing property of oxygen for their energy and for that reason, our cells have been fitted out with an extremely complex enzyme system that makes this noble gas extremely reactive. While we're on the subject we should also point out that this enzyme system is a marvelous example of design that no evolutionary theory holding that life developed as a result of chance events can ever hope to explain. There is yet another precaution that has been taken to keep our bodies from burning up: what the British chemist Nevil Sidgwick calls the "characteristic inertness of carbon". What this means is that carbon is not too much in a hurry either to enter into a reaction with oxygen under normal pressures and temperatures. Expressed in the language of chemistry this may all seem rather arcane, but in fact what is being said here is something that anyone who's ever had to light a fireplace full of huge logs or a coal-burning stove in winter or start a stubborn barbecue in summer already knows. In order to get the fire going, you have to take care of a lot of preliminaries (kindling, starter, etc) or else suddenly raise the temperature of the fuel to a very high degree (as with a blowtorch). But once the fuel starts burning, the carbon in it enters into the reaction with oxygen quite rapidly and a great amount of energy is released. This is why it's so hard to get a fire going without another source of heat. But after combustion begins, a great deal of heat is produced and this can cause other carbon compounds nearby to catch fire as well and so the fire spreads. When we look into this matter more carefully, we can see that fire itself is a most interesting example of design. The chemical properties of oxygen and carbon have been so arranged that these two elements enter into a reaction with one another (combustion) only when a great amount of heat is already present. It's a good thing, too because if this weren't the case, life on this planet would be very unpleasant if not downright impossible. If oxygen and carbon were even slightly more willing to react with one another, the spontaneous combustion–self-ignition–of people, trees, and animals would become a commonplace event whenever the weather got a little too warm. Someone walking through a desert for example might suddenly burst into flame at noon when the heat was at its most intense; plants and animals would be exposed to the same risk. Even if life were possible in such a world, it certainly wouldn't be much fun. On the other hand, if carbon and oxygen were slightly more noble (that is, slightly less reactive) than they are, it would be much more difficult to light a fire in this world than it already is: indeed, it might even be impossible. And without fire, we not only would have been unable to keep ourselves warm: it's quite likely that there would never have been any technological progress on our planet because that progress depends upon the ability to work materials such as metal and without the heat provided by fire, purifying and working metal is all but impossible. What all this shows is that the chemical properties of carbon and oxygen have been arranged so as to be the most suitable for the needs of mankind. Concerning this, Michael Denton says: This curious unreactivity of the carbon and oxygen atoms at ambient temperatures, combined with the enormous energies inherent in their combination once achieved, is of great adaptive significance to life on Earth. It is this curious combination that not only makes available to advanced life forms the vast energies of oxidation in a controlled and orderly manner but has also made possible the controlled use of fire by mankind and allowed the harnessing of the massive energies of combustion for the development of technology. In other words, both carbon and the oxygen have been created with properties that are the most fit for human life. The properties of these two elements allow us to light a fire and to make use of fire in the most convenient way possible. Furthermore, the world is full of sources of carbon (such as the wood of trees) that are fit for combustion. All this is an indication that fire and the materials to start and sustain it have been specially created to be fit for human life. In the Qur'an, God speaks to mankind with these words: He Who produces fire for you from green trees so that you use them to light your fires. (Qur'an, 36:80) |
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