"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:42:37 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

Aluminum does not burn

And just how would you describe rapid exothermic oxidation then ?




Very fast spreading and destructive rust.

If you heat aluminum in the presence of oxygen in first melts and then
begins to do something which closely resembles burning at very high
temperatures. After glowing red very brightly, it turns into a
powdery ash within seconds.

I'd call it burning, purists may not.


It might be burning, but will it support combustion like wood or magnesium?