There are basically two types of explosions. What are they? Briefly describe each type.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

There are two major types of explosions: mechanical and chemical. These types are differentiated by the source or mechanism by which the explosive pressures are produced.
In mechanical explosions, high-pressure gas is produced by purely physical reactions. None of the reactions involves changes in the basic chemical nature of the substances. The most commonly used example of a mechanical explosion is the bursting of a steam boiler. The source of overpressure is the steam created by heating and vaporizing water. When the pressure of the steam can no longer be confined by the boiler, the vessel fails and an explosion results.
In chemical explosions, the generation of high-pressure gas is the result of reactions in which the fundamental chemical nature of the fuel is changed. The most common chemical explosions are those caused by the burning of combustible hydrocarbon fuels such as natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, kerosene, and lubricating oils. An example of a chemical explosion is the one that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City several years ago. In this case, the convicted and subsequently executed bomber, Timothy McVeigh, loaded a van with 4,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate (commonly used as a fertilizer) that had been soaked in fuel oil and detonated with high explosives. The destructive force of such a device is enormous. The explosion killed 167 people.