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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 October 2008
When hydrogen and oxygen react in a closed vessel, the reaction either happens slowly or explosively, depending on the initial temperature θ0 and pressure P. In the (θ0, P)-plane the boundary between these behaviours is represented by a curve. On this curve P is triple-valued over θ0 in certain ranges; that is, for certain initial temperatures there are three explosion limits. This phenomenon, known as the explosion peninsula, is among other things a sign that more than one elementary reaction is involved in the oxidation of hydrogen. Other reactions display similar effects.