Saline hydrides (like and ) react violently with water, evolving dihydrogen gas that spontaneously c — Hydrogen Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

The fire produced by the combustion of $H_2$ upon reacting saline hydrides with water cannot be extinguished by $CO_2$. The hot metal hydride reacts with $CO_2$ to form formate ions (e.g., $NaH + CO_2 \rightarrow HCOONa$). Sand is a more effective fire extinguisher in this scenario.