Powder Flammability

name         Jhon
status       student
grade        9-12
location     CO

Question -   Recently, I have come across an intriguing 
discovery, powdered coffee creamer, when poured over a flame, can 
be quite flammable.  While conducting some experiments, I read the 
back of pack of coffee creamer and it said, "Note, keep away from 
an open flame, as with all powdered substances, the contents of 
this packet are extremely flammable."  I was wondering why this happens.
This only happens when the powder is poured over a flame giving the 
powder room to spread.
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In powders, there is a very large surface area to volume 
ratio.  Since the rate of reaction depends on available surface 
atoms, when there is a large surface area to volume ratio, a reaction 
can happen very quickly and even be explosive.

A 1-gram pellet of zinc is much less reactive than 1 gram of powdered 
zinc.  A large wooden log is much more difficult to ignite than a 
similar amount of sawdust.  Granaries have explosion hazards when 
grain is transferred due to the dust  that becomes airborne and 
possible static electricity sparks.  In the case of the creamer, it 
will oxidize (burn) in the presence of a flame and oxygen when 
dispersed.  This can be a very rapid and potentially dangerous situation.

Thanks for using NEWTON!
---Nathan A. Unterman
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