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- Dictionaryspontaneous combustion
noun
- 1. the ignition of organic matter (e.g. hay or coal) without apparent cause, typically through heat generated internally by rapid oxidation.
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noun
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Spontaneous combustion or spontaneous ignition is a type of combustion which occurs by self-heating (increase in temperature due to exothermic internal reactions), followed by thermal runaway (self heating which rapidly accelerates to high temperatures) and finally, autoignition. It is distinct from (but has similar practical effects to) pyrophoricity, in which a compound needs no self-heat to ign... Wikipedia