Which statement is true about LOX?

Which statement is true about LOX?

• A. It is flammable
• B. It is not flammable but supports combustion
• C. It reacts violently with water
• D. It is a solid at room temperature

Answer: (B)

LOX acts as an oxidizer rather than a fuel. It isn’t flammable by itself, but it provides abundant oxygen that makes other materials burn much more vigorously. In firefighting terms, leaking LOX can turn a relatively mild fuel fire into a much more intense, harder-to-control blaze because fuels ignite more readily in an oxygen-rich environment. LOX is stored as a cryogenic liquid (around -183°C); at room temperature oxygen exists as a gas, so the idea of LOX being a solid at room temperature is incorrect. It doesn’t have a property of reacting violently with water as a defining hazard, so that option isn’t accurate. The key point is that LOX is not flammable but supports combustion, which is why that statement is the true one.

LOX acts as an oxidizer rather than a fuel. It isn’t flammable by itself, but it provides abundant oxygen that makes other materials burn much more vigorously. In firefighting terms, leaking LOX can turn a relatively mild fuel fire into a much more intense, harder-to-control blaze because fuels ignite more readily in an oxygen-rich environment. LOX is stored as a cryogenic liquid (around -183°C); at room temperature oxygen exists as a gas, so the idea of LOX being a solid at room temperature is incorrect. It doesn’t have a property of reacting violently with water as a defining hazard, so that option isn’t accurate. The key point is that LOX is not flammable but supports combustion, which is why that statement is the true one.