What highly flammable metal, easy to ignite when powdered, producing a brilliant white light, and difficult to extinguish, being able to burn in both nitrogen and carbon dioxide, was used in incendiary weapons for firebombing cities in World War II and as a source of illumination in the early days of photography?
Magnesium and hydrogen gas, similar to the HCl reaction with aluminium, zinc, and many other metals. Magnesium is highly flammable, especially when powdered or shaved into thin strips, though it is difficult to ignite in mass or bulk. Flame temperatures of magnesium and magnesium alloys can reach , although flame height above the burning metal is usually less than . Once ignited, such fires are difficult to extinguish, because combustion continues in nitrogen (forming magnesium nitride), carbon dioxide (forming magnesium oxide and carbon), and water (forming magnesium oxide and hydrogen). This property was used in incendiary weapons during the firebombing of
White phosphorus munitions White phosphorus munitions White phosphorus is a material made from a common allotrope of the chemical element phosphorus that is used in smoke, tracer illumination, and incendiary munitions. Other common names include WP and the slang term "Willie Pete" or "Willie Peter" derived from William Peter, the World War II phonetic alphabet for "WP", which is still sometimes used in military jargon. As an incendiary weapon, white phosphorus is pyrophoric (self-igniting), burns fiercely and can ignite cloth, skin, fuel, ammunition, and other combustibles. In addition to its offensive capabilities, white phosphorus is a highly efficient smoke-producing agent, which burns quickly