Combustion is the exothermic reaction of an oxidising agent with a fuel, however, what is the equivalent reaction involving a reducing agent called? Exothermic hydrogenation doesn't quite seem right though presumably it qualifies.
In particular, on an exoplanet with a reducing atmosphere (i.e. hydrogen dominated) can you use a suitable fuel to perform an equivalent reaction to combustion that produces a flame? Also, is there a solid (organic?) fuel that could be used to make something like a candle?
My question is in the context of astrobiology and speculative fiction. There is an interesting paper proposing a mechanism for photosynthesis in hydrogen-dominated atmospheres where hydrogen could fulfill the same role as oxygen for respiration in alien life. This would allow biomass to be formed but what class of complex organic chemicals would provide efficient energy storage for subsequent reaction with hydrogen (or ammonia) during respiration?
On Earth energy storage sugars and fats are (presumably) highly reduced so that they can be fully oxidised to release large amounts of energy. In a reducing atmosphere the opposite situation would be true so I assume that highly oxidised compounds would be more appropriate. Can alternative sugars and fats do the job or would something else be required?
Are oxocarbons plausible? Benzoquinonetetracarboxylic dianhydride is apparently a strong electron acceptor though I'm not suggesting that would be directly suitable.
I know that this is highly speculative but I'm only seeking the name for a broad class of compounds that could plausibly fill this role.
The new report mentions they want to try to reduce thruster efficiency in atmosphere. And this is great because it will allow players to feel the mass of their ships more and make atmospheric flight behaviour relevant.
In the current setup, a 30 ton avenger can accelerate to 340 meters per second near instantly on Hurston, which is MACH1, at ground level. So any atmospheric things like drag or lift are not relevant. Especially in combat, players will fly up for 5-10 seconds and be out of atmosphere of smaller moons.
I hope that the thrusters will be so noticably weaker that:
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They will make a ship drop without necessary lift, either by hitting the thruster or flying fast.
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Prevent ships from floating on the spot in any orientation.
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Make gravity feel like that dangerous force that drags your ship down.
Mostly asking in the sense that, if planting trees en masse can help repair the atmosphere through carbon fixation, would planting some trees or plants that have nitrogen fixing bacteria also have a beneficial effect on the environment? I guess it would make more nitrogen available to non fixing species, but I was thinking in terms of the atmosphere.
Oxidation is the bane of freshness, I have some experience in the field and would be interested in giving this a whirl if there not people already doing it
I guess we could take gas pills, but I'm curious if humans could produce as much methane as cows on a reduced meat or vegetarian/vegan diet.
