Hydrogen

[Peter 2]

Water comprises of 2 parts hydrogen and 1 part oxygen.
Hydrogen is highly inflammable and and oxygen is needed to achieve combustion. So why is water not the most voliatile liquid on the plant ? and is used to put out fires

[Panic Button]

Because water is the 'exhaust' left behind after the conflagration you are imagining

[gen2]

Compare what you have asked with this analogy:

Paper is flammable, oxygegen is needed to achieve combustion. So why is ash not the most combustible material on the plant (sic)?

As Panic Button has said:

the ash (water) is the RESULT of that combustion.

[4lec]

Liquid hydrogen is also used as a coolant in some electrical systems i believe, a power station i did work experience in used liquid hyrdrogen in its switches as an isolator too. I aksed about it and was told aslong as it is kept at a certain purity (60% pure i think) then it is perfectly safe. Dont know if it is true though.
This was bit of a sidetrack that i thought was interesting to i had to say it
Alec

[dozeydo]

When hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water, the arrangement of the electrons in their atoms is changed - they form covalent bonds - try this link: http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/pag e04/4_72bond.htm#molecules
When their electrons are shared like this, each atom "thinks" it has an electron arrangement like that of a noble gas (helium, neon, argon etc). These elements are very unreactive. Hydrogen and oxygen do not any longer have their individual characteristics - they have formed a new entity - a compound - with a set of properties all its own. It's a bit like making a cake - the end result has quite different properties from the ingredients you started with. Hope this helps.