1
$\begingroup$

I was looking up oxidizers in two aspects, economy and power. Since much of math goes over my head, I got almost nothing.

What would be most economical and most powerful potent oxidizer choice available today? Is there a catalyst which can be helpful here?

$\endgroup$
1

1 Answer 1

2
$\begingroup$

Oxygen is the best oxidiser that's also simple to handle and inexpensive. Better oxidisers exist, but they are expensive and can be toxic and/or corrosive, making them difficult to handle. In particular, fluorine can give very high specific impulse, but is nearly impossible to work with safely so it's never been used in production rockets.

Here's a good list of propellants and oxidizers.

$\endgroup$
3
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ I imagine that dumping many tons of hydrogen fluoride into the air would not be popular either. $\endgroup$
    – Mike H
    Commented Aug 17, 2016 at 5:10
  • $\begingroup$ @MikeH Yikes! You know what they say about people who live in glass houses - they shouldn't play with HF. $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Aug 20, 2016 at 3:59
  • $\begingroup$ HF is very corrosive to glass surfaces, but it is dangeously toxic for human skin. $\endgroup$
    – Uwe
    Commented Mar 13, 2017 at 21:04

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.