• Question: is it possible to create a combustable lemon?

    Asked by wheatley to Clare, Dave, Glo, Ozge, Sean on 13 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Dave Sproson

      Dave Sproson answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Can’t say I’ve ever really thought about it! Most organic material will combust if its water content is low enough – so I assume a dessicated (dried-out) lemon would burn just fine. I’d stick with charcoal for your barbecues, though….

    • Photo: Gloeta Massie

      Gloeta Massie answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      I plead the 5th. Just in case you don’t what that means – I defer to the BBC’s explanation of this American phrase: “‘Pleading the Fifth”, as it is known, allows someone to escape giving evidence at a trial or hearing should they feel they might incriminate themselves in doing so. ‘”

    • Photo: Clare Woulds

      Clare Woulds answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      I’m almost sure I’ve seen things made very combustable by dipping them in liquid oxygen, and if I’m right then that would work with a lemon. However, this would be quite dangerous, and liquid oxygen is very cold, and a lemon burning in pure oxygen would be explosive.

    • Photo: Ozge Ozkaya

      Ozge Ozkaya answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      How do you mean “create” ? combustale or flammable?

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