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== Real Life ==
* [[wikipedia:Thermite|Thermite]] is a reaction between a metal and a metal saltoxide (typically iron oxide and aluminum). The reaction generates temperatures of approximately 2500 °C and releases molten iron. Its also self-oxidizing so good luck putting it out. [[World War II]] soldiers used it to melt Jeep engines and artillery cannons.
** By comparison, a candle burns at 1000°C, a blowtorch at 1300°C and an oxygen/hydrogen flame (aka a ''rocket engine'') at 2000°C. (The numbers depend on certain assumptions about local environmental conditions, otherwise blast furnaces wouldn't work, but the point stands - thermite is ''hot''.)
** Thermite was also used by artillery: it burns through thin sheets effortlessly and small burning pieces typically dispensed with a shell or rocket has just enough speed to get embedded in the wood. Soviet Army in WWII has thermite ammo for cannons, MLRS... everything, though dropped it because this was devastating against large flammable things, but useless against tanks or infantry--, unlike a sticky liquid incendiary.
* Industrial electricElectric arcs invoke this trope, from arc welding (no not [[Arc Welding|that type]]) to [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijWwfcw0FOo electric arc steelmaking.] Arc steelmaking is where humans effectively use man-made lightning to melt steel and rock at temperatures hotter than a volcano, with the arc furnaces drawing as much power (or more) as a 747 at takeoff - or a small town. [http://www.nucor.com Nucor's] Crawfordsville, Indiana plant, at full bore, needs a quarter of a typical nuclear power plant's output. Electric arc furnaces sound like a [[Gatling Good|Gatling gun]] at artillery calibers. Arc temperatures average about 6000°C - steel melts at 1525ºC.
* Let's start with trivial. A lot of stuff burns in the air, but more in pure oxygen - iron can be set on fire much like magnesium in air, while oil catches fire spontaneously and explosively. Still, as a gas is quite stable, and not all that active - doesn't even violently react with atmospheric nitrogen. Atomary oxygen is much more reactive, but it doesn't stay like this too long, for this very reason. So there are two common ways to make oxygen burn things ''better'' than in pure form: ozone and peroxides. They have an oxygen atom tied down, yet not too strongly, so it can easily break out to play at any time if so inclined. Simple hydrogen peroxide plays nice in very diluted solutions, but becomes more and more unstable when refined - it got a long history in rocketry, and starts of chapters were illustrated with steaming craters. Usually "oxygen caught between two other oxygens" feature belongs exclusively to the intermediate products of ozone burning things down - of course, they are "intermediate" due to not being stable enough to stay around for long. Which is a good thing, because this way stuff more energetic and aggressive than peroxides won't accumulate in noticeable quantities... [http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2004/11/16/things_i_wont_work_with_ozonides.php not unless someone finds a way around this].
* [[wikipedia:Chlorine trifluoride|Chlorine]] [http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_save_you_this_time.php trifluoride]. So horribly dangerous and impossible to control that the [[Those Wacky Nazis|Nazi leadership]], which experimented with this substance as a combination of flamethrower fuel and poison gas, ruled it [[Even Evil Has Standards|too dangerous and not worth the potential risks]]. Colorless, poisonous, a stronger oxidizer than ''oxygen'' and hypergolic (''i''.''e''., it starts making things burn immediately on contact) with nearly anything, it will cause things to burn that absolutely should not be flammable - things like ashes, bricks, water, sand, test engineers, and ''asbestos''. If you try to dump sand on Chlorine Trifluoride in order to put it out, it will instead merrily ''proceed to burn the sand'' (and then the ground ''beneath'' the sand). The closest thing to actual hellfire the real world has to offer.▼
** Now there's also [http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2014/10/10/things_i_wont_work_with_peroxide_peroxides.php dihydrogen trioxide], and even some products going up to ''five'' oxygens in a row. Produced by making hydrogen peroxide react ''with'' ozone, yes. Not that there are any ways to refine the result, or applications other than - to make ''sure'' [[Kill It with Fire|everything carbon-based in water will burn down to carbon dioxide]]. What was there? Acetone? Carbonated water now. Formalin? Carbonated water. Cyanides? Carbonated water with nitrates. Bacteria? Carbonated water with some nitrates and phosphates.
** The major product of most chlorine trifluoride reactions is hydrogen fluoride, a very corrosive acid that is extremely toxic beyond even beyond its acidity. Spilling a bit on a few centimeters of skin can easily destroy the bones underneath<ref>It's not burning it down to the bone, it's going through your skin first</ref>, as well as any nearby nerves faster than they can transmit the pain of the acid corroding your skin. Hellfire indeed.▼
▲* [[wikipedia:Chlorine trifluoride|Chlorine]] [http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_save_you_this_time.php trifluoride]. So horribly dangerous and impossible to control that the [[Those Wacky Nazis|Nazi leadership]], which experimented with this substance as a combination of flamethrower fuel and poison gas, ruled it [[Even Evil Has Standards|too dangerous and not worth the potential risks]]. Colorless, poisonous, a stronger oxidizer than ''oxygen'' and not only will burn things that absolutely should not be flammable, but is hypergolic (''i''.''e''., it starts making things burn immediately on contact) "with nearly anything, it will causesuch things toas burncloth, thatwood, absolutelyand shouldtest engineers, not beto flammable - thingsmention like ashesasbestos, brickssand, and water, sand,- testwith engineers,which andit ''asbestos''reacts explosively". If you try to dump sand on Chlorine Trifluoride in order to put it out, it will instead merrily ''proceed to burn the sand'' (and then the ground ''beneath'' the sand). The closest thing to actual hellfire the real world has to offer.
* In many ways, chlorine trifloride is the gentler cousin of [http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride.php Dioxygen] [[wikipedia:Dioxygen difluoride|Difluoride]]. This quote sums it up nicely:▼
▲** The"...That process, I should add, would necessarily have been accompanied by copious amounts of horribly toxic and corrosive by-products: it’s bad enough when your reagent ignites wet sand, but the clouds of hot hydrofluoric acid are your special door prize if you’re foolhardy enough to hang around and watch the fireworks" Yes, the major product of mostmany chlorine trifluoridesuch reactions is hydrogen fluoride,itself a very corrosive acid that is, extremely toxic beyond even beyond its acidity. Spilling a bit on a few centimeters of skin can easily destroy the bones underneath<ref>It's not burning it down to the bone, it's going through your skin first</ref>, as well as any nearby nerves faster than they can transmit the pain of the acid corroding your skin. It also happen to be one of the very few things that cannot be stored in good old glass, because they can eat their way out. Hellfire indeed.
▲** In many ways, chlorine trifloride is the gentler cousin of [http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride.php Dioxygen] [[wikipedia:Dioxygen difluoride|Difluoride]]. Just about everything else burns in it explosively, even things one would normally expect to be oxidizers, such as chlorine or bromine fluoride. This quote sums it up nicely:
{{quote|When 0.2 (mL) of liquid dioxygen difluoride was added to 0.5 (mL) of liquid methane '''at 90 K (-183ºC)''', a violent explosion occurred. }}
** And, and before you get any funny ideas, ''yes''. The crazy bastard that did said experiment also applied Dioxygen Difloride with the above Chlorine Trifloride, something the writer for the article could only respond with "[[Flat What|say what]]?"
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