Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

12:34
Experimental Procedure for Laboratory Studies of In Situ Burning : Flammability and Burning Efficiency of Crude Oil
Published on: May 1, 2018
Coin and currency burn
Asif Zubair Bhatti1, William Thomas Chapman, Masroor Naveed
1Department of Plastic, Hand & Reconstructive Surgery, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
Summary
A man sustained severe burns from a heated UK coin during a pub game fueled by alcohol. This highlights the risks of alcohol-related self-inflicted injuries in community settings.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Medicine
- Toxicology
- Burn Surgery
Background:
- Alcohol intoxication is frequently associated with accidental and intentional self-harm.
- Pub games can present unique risks, especially when combined with alcohol consumption.
Observation:
- A case study involving a patient who sustained full-thickness burns to the hand.
- The injury occurred during a pub game involving a 50-pence coin heated by burning paper, while the patient was intoxicated.
Findings:
- The 50-pence coin, heated by burning paper, caused severe, full-thickness burns.
- The ease of sustaining such injuries in a community setting is highlighted.
Implications:
- Increased awareness of alcohol abuse as a contributing factor in self-inflicted burns is crucial.
- This case underscores the need for public health campaigns addressing alcohol-related risks and injury prevention.
Related Concept Videos
Burn Injuries
Burn injuries occur when the skin and underlying tissues are damaged due to exposure to heat, electricity, chemicals, radiation, or friction. They can vary in severity, from minor superficial burns to severe deep burns that can be life-threatening.
The damage results in the death of skin cells, which can lead to a massive loss of fluid. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and renal and circulatory failure follow, which can be fatal. Burn patients are treated with intravenous fluids to offset...
The damage results in the death of skin cells, which can lead to a massive loss of fluid. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and renal and circulatory failure follow, which can be fatal. Burn patients are treated with intravenous fluids to offset...
Combustion Energy: A Measure of Stability in Alkanes and Cycloalkanes
The low reactivity in alkanes can be attributed to the non-polar nature of C–C and C–H σ bonds. Alkanes, therefore, were initially termed as “paraffins,” derived from the Latin words: parum, meaning “too little,” and affinis, meaning “affinity.”
Alkanes undergo combustion in the presence of excess oxygen and high-temperature conditions to give carbon dioxide and water. A combustion reaction is the energy source in natural gas, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), fuel oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, and...
Alkanes undergo combustion in the presence of excess oxygen and high-temperature conditions to give carbon dioxide and water. A combustion reaction is the energy source in natural gas, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), fuel oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, and...
Enthalpy and Heat of Reaction
Combustion, commonly known as burning, is a reaction in which a substance reacts with an oxidizing agent, which in most cases is molecular oxygen, to liberate energy in the form of heat, light, or sound. The heat of combustion is also known as the enthalpy of combustion. The energy released when one mole of a substance undergoes complete combustion at constant pressure is called molar heat of combustion. Combustion reactions are exothermic; that is, they release energy, and their ΔH sign...
The Carnot Cycle
Converting work to heat is an irreversible process, and the purpose of a heat engine is to reverse the effect partially. Heat engines aim to increase the efficiency of the reversal, that is, maximize the work retrieved from heat. If the efficiency of a heat engine were 100%, it would imply reversing the process completely without introducing any other effect. Thus, it would violate the second law of thermodynamics.
What could be the theoretical limit to the efficiency of a heat engine? The...
What could be the theoretical limit to the efficiency of a heat engine? The...
Efficiency of The Carnot Cycle
The hypothetical Carnot cycle consists of an ideal gas subjected to two isothermal and two adiabatic processes. Since the internal energy of an ideal gas depends only on its temperature, which is the same before and after the completion of the Carnot cycle, there is no change in its internal energy. Hence, using the first law of thermodynamics, the total heat exchanged by the ideal gas equals the total work done. Thus, we can quantify the efficiency of the Carnot cycle via the heat exchanged...
Vaporization
The physical form of a substance changes by changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. For vaporization to occur, kinetic energy must be greater than the intermolecular forces that keep molecules bonded. The amount of energy needed to vaporize a quantity of liquid at a given pressure and a constant temperature is called the heat of vaporization. When...
